


Runaway

by deej_nicolson



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arcana Swap (Persona Series), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Gen, Roleswap
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-18 11:07:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 34,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28866015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deej_nicolson/pseuds/deej_nicolson
Summary: “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players”- William Shakespeare, As You Like It, Act II, Scene VIIThe players have been switched around, the cards have been shuffled. The Emperor is now the Fool. How does the journey of the Trickster change? Does it change?P5 Arcanaswap AU built around Fool!YusukeCURRENTLY UNDERGOING A REWRITE. STORY ON HIATUS UNTIL I CAN REWRITE IT
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Kitagawa Yusuke, Kitagawa Yusuke/Takamaki Ann, Kurusu Akira/Sakamoto Ryuji, Morgana (Persona Series)/Sakura Futaba
Comments: 27
Kudos: 49





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> well i guess im rewriting runaway now lmao
> 
> so what happened was i came up with an alt idea for runaway and as much as i love bread dad toronosuke yoshida... uh... wine mom ichiko ohya made me feel things? tbh i love her and she needs more love!
> 
> also some minor changes - codenames are going to be changed. the only ones set in stone are the two you see mentioned in the opening and one that isnt there ;) 
> 
> there will also be a reshuffling in palace order - no kaneshiro palace BUT three brand new palaces, one you'll see in the intro section, a replacement for futaba's palace featuring the new hermit, and a completely new adversary! 
> 
> yusuke is afab nonbinary btw, they/them pronouns only in the comments! 
> 
> thanks for reading! hopefully i can get my head around kamoshida's palace... it can be a fuckin bitch lmao

A red sky loomed over a large funhouse, acrobats walking on tightropes as fire breathers exhaled their breath into the sky in elaborate circles. An audience sat, entranced, enthralled by the spectacle before them. Aside from an individual who was hunched behind the bleachers, eyes affixed on one of the fire breathers. 

“Fox-senpai? Have you spotted it?”

The figure - Fox - nodded, as the young, feminine sounding voice continued. 

“Good, we need to get it, and _quick_.”

“Just need to go through these guys,” A masculine sounding voice cut in, “That’ll be easier said than done if _someone_ -” The line was pointed, causing Fox to smirk, “-Wasn’t so goddamn dramatic.”

“Oh come now, Roger,” Fox muttered under their breath, “You need to have some semblance of aesthetics, right?” 

“You could’ve gotten us spotted, man!” Roger exclaimed, “The security level is _way_ too high for those sorta tricks!”

“Roger, calm down.” Another feminine voice, this one slightly more mature than the previous one, “If anyone knows how to do this, it’s our fearless leader!”

“Thanks for believing in me, Panther.” Fox found an opening between two fire breathers to the item they were looking for, and smiled. They grabbed a ring of keys from the side of the bleachers, and gently kicked them into the view of the crowd. 

The sudden movement distracted the crowd as the figure ran into the light, becoming seen once more -- tall, rather slim looking, with navy blue hair tied into a braid that brushed over their left shoulder. Their outfit could be defined as a long, sleeveless tunic and leather pants, both of similar color to their hair. Around the waist of the tunic was a red obi style belt tied at the back, making its long ribbons look like a pair of tails. A white cropped jacket brushed their shoulders, with red gloves on both their hands, and white calf high boots on their feet. 

The strangest thing about them was their mask -- a traditional styled fox mask with red lining and decoration. That explained their codename of Fox. The crowd, still distracted by the shiny keys - obviously they were very short attentioned - failed to notice as Fox swiped up the flames with their weapon -- a long handled scythe -- and attacked the pair of fire breathers blocking their path.

The fire breathers dissolved into monsters, as Fox leant back with their weapon, taking a quick look around. 

“Ace! Any weaknesses spotted?”

“The one in the middle is weak to ice, fitting,” A somewhat smarmy sounding young man chimed in, “The two on either side of it are, ironically, weak to fire.” 

Fox grinned, grabbing their mask by the bottom edge. “Perfect. Are you ready, old friend?” They stated to no one in particular, as they removed their mask and a pair of bat wings appeared behind them, descending through a wall of flame. The demon they summoned shot up, red eyes boring through the creatures below them. Fox cracked their knuckles.

“Alright, let’s teach them a lesson; Faust!” 

And the demon let out a plume of flame towards the creatures.

xxx

6 MONTHS PRIOR

The rattling of a train shook Yusuke Kitagawa out of their sleep. Rubbing their eyes, they sighed as they adjusted their headphones, still playing soft music. The train announcer called that the train was currently arriving in Shibuya, and immediately, Yusuke swallowed. 

The last time they were here, they were about three years old, barely able to look at the people around them, and it was _still_ just as oppressive. The only reason that they and their mother had moved to Inaba was due to her illness getting much worse, and now, they had returned due to unlikely circumstances.

Probation… They sighed. The word caused their stomach to sink like a rock. They were just doing the right thing, and they got _arrested_ for it. That guy managed to use the fact that Yusuke just gently pushed him out of the way as _evidence for assault_. It made them feel sick, or maybe that was just the soft rumbling of the train. They sunk into their seat, letting the music take them over for a little bit. 

Finally, as the train squeaked into Shibuya, Yusuke grabbed their bag and left the station, trying to stay as far away from everyone as possible. Adjusting the bag against their shoulder, they walked through the station, up the escalator and into the Shibuya crossing. That’s when they saw a hot pink convertible style car, almost like it stepped out of the 50s. 

Behind the wheel was Yusuke’s legal guardian for the year -- Ichiko Ohya. Ichiko knew their mother, she was the mistress of their Aunt Kayo, and while they didn’t know her very well, Yusuke already knew this year was going to be hell. The woman honked the horn of her car. 

“Hey, kid! Get your ass over here!” She called, and dear God, was she inebriated? But it was 2pm in the afternoon? “I’m not getting any younger down here!” 

Yusuke sighed, adjusting their bag and headphones once more and entered the car. Ohya pulled the clutch and it drove off, coughing and spluttering all the way. Yusuke pulled the left headphone onto the side of their head, ready for Ohya to talk their ear off. 

“So? Probation, huh, kid?” She asked, and Yusuke nodded, “Ooh! You’ve been a naughty boy!” She giggled, causing Yusuke to cringe, _immediately_ regretting the decision to move their headphones. “So, anyway -- you’ll be staying with me for the next year. It’s a little cramped but I think it will be fine… Besides, you’re a growing b--”

Yusuke’s breath hitched as they glared at Ohya. Ohya raised a brow.

“Was it something I said?”

“Ohya-san, I don’t mean to be impolite, but didn’t my mother tell you about… _That_?”

Ohya suddenly shook her head. “Oh, right! Sorry…” She let out a nervous chuckle, and it was quite clear she was apologetic. “You’re a growing… _Kid-_ that any better?” Yusuke nodded, as Ohya sighed, “I think a change of scenery would be good for you!” 

Yusuke held their tongue, trying not to say anything about how the change of scenery wasn’t directed by them and they were perfectly fine in Inaba thank you very much. Ohya chuckled.

“C’mon you grumpy guts! We’re almost there, your new home.” 

So when the car pulled up to the side of a red bricked cafe building, with a bright red awning reading _Goethe_ in large friendly letters, Yusuke wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Ohya got out first, letting out a sigh. 

“Home sweet home.” She smiled, “C’mon, kid!” 

In response, Yusuke got out of the car, placing their bag on their back and pulling their headphones onto their neck. Goethe Cafe was a small establishment, blending in with the grimy walkway that was the Yongen-Jaya backstreets. Yusuke frowned, looking up at the place.

“Ah, here she is. _Goethe_ ,” Ohya sighed wistfully, “Isn’t she a beauty?”

“It’s rather… Quaint.”

Ohya blinked. “I’m gonna take that as a compliment, kid.” She stated, pulling a keychain out of her pocket and unlocking the door. When it opened, Yusuke was taken aback by the way the place smelt. Coffee, mixed in with a small amount of whiskey. It was overwhelming, betraying the ‘quaint’ nature of the locale that they had previously observed. 

As they walked in, she shut the door behind her and leant against the counter.

“Alright, now, I’m legally obligated to give you the ‘ground rules’,” She put air quotations over those two words, “Of your probation. I don’t wanna be a party pooper but… Them’s the breaks!” Ohya sighed, “For the time being, you can’t leave the house after 9pm, so no wild parties, got it.”

“Dammit.” Yusuke deadpanned, as Ohya chuckled. 

“There’s a bathhouse just ‘round the corner from where we are,” She gestured out the door, “If you need to get clean. There’s also a laundry place as well.” Midway through her explanation, she paused, rubbing the back of her neck. “Uh… I forgot to show you where you’re staying… Uh… Yeah, my place is a little cramped at the moment, so…”

xxx

They were staying in the attic. Lovely. It was a dusty, dingy sort of place, but Ohya had called it a ‘bit of a fixer upper’. She frowned as they entered the attic, looking around. 

“So… I put out an old futon… It won’t really _pass_ as a bed, but this was like, short notice, kid.” She sighed. “Darn, Kaori’s gonna bite my ear off if she finds out I’ve stuck her kid in an attic…” 

Yusuke shook a hand. “It’ll be fine, Ohya-san.”

It really _wasn’t_ fine, but Yusuke prided themselves on being a slightly more competent liar than was possibly necessary. Small lies in relation to his mother’s illness, why they often would stay behind at school after hours and sit in the art rooms, staring at the walls blankly. Their gender identity as well, responding to… Well, the name that they _refused_ to be called, especially as Yasogami High was a small town school and rumors spread hard and fast.

Ohya appeared to recognise it, but laughed it off. “Alright! If you say so, kid!” But before she turned to walk down the stairs, she turned back, “Also! When you’ve gotten settled -- after the whole school shit is dealt with -- you could do some small work for me! Just coffee making, it ain’t that hard.” She winked, “I heard you’re an artist.” 

Yusuke rolled their eyes. Again with the whole _artist_ thing. Their mother taught them the basics before her illness overcame her, and they had picked up some small sections of sketches and other such trivial habits, but that wasn’t their true calling. Did they know what it was yet? Absolutely not. It was more of a little hobby for the time being. 

Ohya grinned. “And uh… Also! I’ll lock up at about 6pm. There’s some heatable ramen in the cupboard. And also I’ll give you my number later if you need anything!” 

Yusuke raised a brow. They weren’t really feeling that hungry, but it made sense. Ohya did appear to be overcompensating for her… Quite clearly incapable of parenting behavior. But the good thing was that she didn’t treat them like they were a monster. Even with the cheeky comment in the car earlier about them being ‘naughty’, it appeared more like playful teasing. 

Yusuke sighed. They possibly wouldn’t get used to this. Their lack of response caused Ohya to blink. “Uh… Okay then, I’ll be off then.” She smiled, disappearing down the stairs and leaving the teenager to their own devices in an empty room. They sighed, unravelling the futon and laying it on the floor, placing their headphones on the floor beside them as they let their music play onwards. 

The track was soft, gentle sounding, English lyrics crooning in the distance as Yusuke yawned, staring at the ceiling. The door locked at 6pm and their playlist had gone through about 7 songs when they decided to actually _look_ at their phone. They didn’t really use it for much -- it was more for their music and contacting people, but hey -- maybe this probation could change them?

And that’s when they saw it. An app that hadn’t been on their phone before today; a red app with a large eye in the centre, pupil replaced by a star. When they pressed it, nothing seemed to happen, at least, due to the fact the room was quiet. Outside, the birds in the sky stopped moving, as a warm wind blew through the window, even though it was winter - it felt like a desert. Yusuke removed their hoodie, giving way to their bare chest… Although it wasn’t bare -- wrapped around it were tight fitting bandages, as if holding something in place. 

They looked up at the ceiling, seeing vague patterns of bat wings formed against the shadows. They shook their head suddenly, and the wings vanished from their eyes. What the hell was that? The hot wind dissipated, the birds continued to fly, the clouds moved once more. It was like that was just some strange vision…

Stress, they thought. It was stress. Maybe they could sleep it off? 

They sighed, deciding to quickly get changed, taking off their jeans and putting on a pair of sweatpants in their place. They turned off their music and slowly dozed off, not noticing that the music that they turned off slowly returned, but much different - the wind became the sorrowful cries of a woman, and the sound of cars in the distance transformed into soft piano…


	2. Chapter 2

Yusuke snapped awake to find themselves somewhere strange -- neon blue lights that hurt their eyes, seated on a velvet blue barstool that was surprisingly comfortable. There were two individuals in their vision - a rather muscular looking young woman who was wiping glasses, and a strange looking man, hunched over, long nosed, bloodshot eyes. 

“Welcome, Trickster, to my Velvet Room.” He greeted, as Yusuke shook their head, looking around the environment. 

It appeared almost like a bar, various glasses of differing shapes and sizes hidden behind an elaborate rust colored cabinet with golden embellishments, fairy lights strung in front of it flashing technicolor. Low, pounding music played in the background. 

The silhouettes they saw when they first came to were now more clear, the old man first, and then the woman behind the counter. She was tall, with bleach white hair and gold eyes, wearing a velvet blue pantsuit with a white rose corsage tucked into the lapel. She appeared more focused on the glass at the moment. Yusuke raised a brow. 

“Velvet Room?” They repeated, as the old man let out a low, almost sinister sounding laugh. 

“Yes, indeed! You have been listening,” He smirked, “I am Igor, the Master of this place. No need to introduce yourself, I already know you well enough.” Igor then continued, “This location is between dream and reality, mind and matter. Only those bound by a contract can enter this place.”

“Contract? But I don’t remember signing anything.”

The woman behind the bar sighed, looking up from her glass and letting her lidded golden eyes gaze over Yusuke’s form. “It’s a _cognitive_ contract.” She stated, “The you in the real world is currently asleep, this world is perceived as a dream.”

“Okay…” Yusuke frowned, as Igor continued his explanation. 

“You aren’t the first occupant of this place, it changes depending on the occupants heart.” He looked around, a smirk on his face, “Considering everything you’ve been through, I was expecting a prison, not a casino.” 

Yusuke frowned, looking around at the room. “It is… Odd.” They paused, swallowing, looking down to see they were in normal clothes, thanking whatever deity is out there that these two strangers didn’t see their dirty little secret. “Why am I here?”

Igor answered his question with a chuckle. “Aren’t we all wondering that?”

“I meant _here_. In this… Velvet Room as you called it.” 

“You have become a prisoner of fate, my child.” Igor stated, tapping his fingers on the hardwood counter. “Unfortunate, for someone with a whole life ahead of you.” His face suddenly darkened, “But that is not all you will have to overcome. Soon, ruin will befall all.” 

Yusuke gulped, looking over at the woman who was seemingly tending the bar. Igor took note of their worried face and gave them a reassuring glance. 

“Not to worry, this… ‘Rehabilitation’, shall we call it, will help with defying fate,” He stated, “The freedom you desire is just out of reach.” He gestured to the woman beside him. “Myself and my assistant oversee your rehabilitation, to help you defy the fate given to you.” 

His assistant nodded. “My name is Sae.” She finally introduced, after having not said much this whole meeting. “My duty is to oversee you, so don’t do anything stupid. Got it?”

Yusuke nodded.

“Your obedience is necessary for this collaboration,” She stated, placing a glass down on the table with a small ‘clunk’. “If you are not, the consequences will be dire.” 

No pressure, or anything. Yusuke frowned, looking down at their feet and holding their hands against the edge of the barstool. Whatever these consequences were, they were incredibly stressful, and deeply troubling. But this could be just an elaborate stress dream conjured by their mind? The bar did look familiar to the cafe/bar section of Goethe. 

Suddenly a dinging noise alerted them to look up.

“Ah, it appears that night is waning, and our time is up,” Igor stated, “Take your time to understand this place. We shall meet again, eventually.” 

Yusuke swallowed, now feeling their head go heavy as they collapsed onto the counter. But when they awoke, they were back on the futon in Goethe, as if nothing had happened. They sat up, in a shock and somewhat dazed, but quickly shook their head, choosing instead to look at their phone. 7am, thank goodness, they didn’t wake up late due to that strange dream. 

Today they would be going to Shujin Academy, to retrieve their student ID and meet the poor underpaid staff member who was saddled with being their babysitter for the year. They rolled their eyes. They knew full well _why_ a school like Shujin would take them in -- they were on probation and ‘rehabilitating’ a kid who had been jailed was _perfect_ for PR. Maybe they were being cynical, but it was true. 

They quickly got dressed, and realized that - thank goodness - the uniform was the male uniform. If it was the _female_ uniform, they possibly wouldn’t have gone to Shujin at all. Their relatives had pushed to change their record the second that they came out, but even then it was kind of strange that the place they were pretty sure they’d get eaten alive at cared more about them then the place they’d lived most of their life. They’d burnt the pictures of them in their old school uniform, but it didn’t erase the memories. 

They sighed, after they finished getting dressed, coming downstairs to the smell of curry from the kitchen. Ichiko popped her head out of the kitchenette with a smile on her face.

“Mornin’!” She greeted, as peppy as ever, “You sleep well?” She yawned. 

Yusuke nodded. “Yes.” They frowned, “I had some… Nightmares.” 

“Oh, those can be a bitch.” Ohya stated, honestly, placing the plate of curry down in front of them.

“Here ya go, breakfast curry!” She smiled, “If those nightmares ever get… Worse, there’s a doctor just ‘round the corner. Sadayo Kawakami. I dunno if she has medication for that stuff but…” 

She then shook her head, “Uh… Anyway--” Quickly noticing that Yusuke was just gently tapping their curry with a fork, “--I’ll be driving you up today, but just for today. Shujin’s in Aoyama, so there’s a _lot_ of transfers on the train.” She sighed, “You’ll get by with your student pass, I think.”

“Thanks for the meal.” Yusuke stated, rather bluntly, as Ohya blinked.

“But you didn’t--Ugh, never mind. So, shall we go?” 

xxx

Yusuke hated _everything_ about Shujin from the second they stepped through the doors. They hated the bleach white walls and oppressive atmosphere, hated the heavy hardwood floors, hated how _large_ it was. It was quite possibly double the size of Yasogami, but even though no one but themselves, Ohya and a couple other people were there, they could feel _eyes_ on them. 

When they met Principal Kobayakawa, that was the point that they decided they couldn’t stand Shujin Academy. Principal Kobayakawa was a walking tub of lard, balding, wearing an audacious mustard yellow suit and judging Yusuke’s every single move. Their homeroom teacher, Dr Maruki, was somewhat kinder looking - soft expression, floppy hair, kind eyes hidden by glasses - although he appeared way out of his depth. 

“If you do anything wrong, we won’t be able to help you,” Kobayakawa droned, “In fact, you will be expelled. Do I make myself clear?” 

Yusuke nodded, not speaking, refusing to speak. Anything they said could, and most likely _would_ be used against them. And Kobayakawa knew it, a smirk crossing his flabby features, reminding Yusuke of a cracked egg. He did look like an egg, now that Yusuke thought about it. There was a western fairytale called Humpty Dumpty that Yusuke vaguely remembered reading once upon a time, and _indeed_ Kobayakawa looked like the titular egg. They held their tongue to prevent laughter choking out. 

“I said,” Kobayakawa repeated, “Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, sir.” Yusuke finally stated, before returning to silence as they stared at Maruki. Maruki appeared _exhausted_ , and God, Yusuke felt horrible for being pushed onto him. Maruki frowned, fiddling with his tie, as Ohya sighed. She appeared just as tired if not more so than Maruki did. And great, was that the room spinning? 

They looked over at Ohya, who instead placed the pen she’d been given down onto the eggman’s desk.

“Is there anything else you need me to sign?”

Kobayakawa’s expression changed from one of sternness to one of warmth. “Not at all, Ohya-san.” He smiled, “You are really doing society a service by allowing us to take in this delinquent.” 

Ohya rubbed the back of her neck. “Geez, you make it sound like I’m Mother Theresa.” She sighed, “I was just in the right place at the right time.” 

And there it was. All the kindness she had shown was for naught. Just in the right place at the right time, she said. Yusuke tried not to let their disappointment show. When they’d get home they’d call their mother or Naoto and apologise for the whole mess. Maybe they’ll cause a scene, get expelled and get themselves kicked out just so they can return to Inaba, sit in front of the Tatsuhime Shrine and cry for 5 hours straight. 

Or maybe they were just being overdramatic. As usual. They placed their hands behind their back and stood up straight so as to not alert anyone in the room, but it appeared that Ohya noticed their feelings of awkwardness. They desperately wanted to do something, maybe fiddle with their braid, but since _Kobayakawa_ was looking at them like every breath they made was hazardous they just… Didn’t. 

Ohya frowned. “Alright, I think my ward gets the gist of it all.” She smiled, “I think we should-”

“Uh, wait-” Maruki began, interrupting the moment, “If… If you need help getting to your class tomorrow, I’ll be outside the faculty lounge.” He swallowed, “J-Just figured I would let you know, Kitagawa-kun.” He rubbed his hand behind his neck. “And, uh… I also have snacks in there if you need anything else!” 

Did Yusuke _look_ like a kindergartener to this man? …Well, the snacks were sounding rather appealing to them… Yeah, that makes sense. Yusuke nodded in response, to which Maruki grinned, as Yusuke held the student ID in their right hand, gripping it rightly. After the _incredibly_ awkward introduction, Ohya and them stood outside the principal’s office, Ohya rubbing a hand behind her neck.

“That was…” She sighed, “God, I hope that it’s not always like that.” She then smiled at him, “That Maruki guy seemed lovely though, maybe you should get his number for little ol’ me?” 

Yusuke grunted, and was about ready to walk away, when Ohya grabbed them by the sleeve.

“Hey, kid, uh…” She paused for a moment, as if trying to get her words out, “Just so you know, if anything happens to get you expelled, I’m gonna have to kick you out. I’m sorry but, that’s the rules. No hard feelings, right?”

Yeah, right. ‘No hard feelings’. God, they felt _ill_ , being reduced to nothing but a plebian of society, a _criminal_ . To the point where even a person they thought actually _cared_ was only seeing them as a means to an end. Yusuke nodded, head down, eyes downcast. Ohya froze, before she shook her head. 

“Uh… Anyway…”

Before they left, Yusuke saw someone out of the corner of their eye -- a rather short young woman, most likely a third year, auburn hair tied into pigtails held back with black ribbons. She was wearing the Shujin girl’s uniform, aside from pulled back sleeves, pretty properly all things considered. She had a pair of red rose earrings pinned into her ears. She looked rather cute, but had an air of authority to her, especially as she appeared to be helping one of the teachers with something. 

Yusuke raised a brow but turned to face Ohya. Once they got in the car, they began to drive off… Only to be greeted by molasses consistency traffic. Ohya slammed her head on the car wheel, the loud honking sound startling Yusuke as they immediately flinched, but tried to keep it cool.

“Ugh… Stupid goddamn Tokyo traffic! What’s the hold up?” Ohya asked, turning on the radio, where her answer was immediately given;

“And now back to today’s top stories; a subway train has derailed, severely affecting the timetable across all--”

Ohya’s expression soured. “Another accident?” She whispered, eyes wide, before she paused. “...Bad timing. Considering you’re going on the train and all.” She sighed. “There seems to be more accidents happening everyday, all these ‘mental shutdowns’ or whatever.” 

She then paused. “There was a real sad one that happened a month or so ago.” Her tone had sobered, no longer the peppy tone that she’d carried for most of Yusuke’s stay there. “The kid was around 14 or so… Can’t imagine what’d be like to lose someone so young.” 

_Fourteen_? Yusuke frowned. That was a year younger than they were - they had the unfortunate honor of being the youngest 2nd year, having been born in January. They sighed, looking down at their toes.

“Why’d you take me in, Ohya-san?” 

Ohya’s eyes widened. “Oh… It’s no biggie. You already know that your mother and I are friends, so when she phoned me to ask for help, I chose to....” She sighed, “It’s kind of out of obligation, sadly. Because of--”

“Aunt Kayo?”

Yusuke didn’t mean the words to come out so sharply. Ohya faced her eyes back to the traffic, as if apologetic. 

“You’ve been through some severe shit kid,” Ohya stated, her voice cold, “But please -- Don’t take it out on the world. I’ve done that once. Wasn’t fun. Pushed everyone away from me.” 

“They already think I’m nothing but a delinquent, why not act like one?”

Ohya chuckled. “I don’t think you’re like that--” 

Yusuke, not believing her words, instead chose to place their headphones over their ears and play their music as loud as they possibly could. They leant back in the seat, letting the music wash over them as they ignored their surroundings. Maybe Ohya was right about them taking it out on the world -- it wasn’t healthy, but it was the easiest thing they could do at this moment. 

As the car pulled back in front of Goethe, Ohya unlocked the door and the pair entered. Yusuke removed their headphones as Ohya frowned at them, almost apologetic for what she had said in the car earlier. Then, her phone buzzed. She picked it up and sighed, reading a bunch of texts that had hurriedly come through. 

“You’re on your own tonight, kiddo.” She stated, placing the phone in her pocket. “Again - Ramen in the cupboard. And if you want, I can teach you how to make curry! It’s kinda a family recipe.” She grinned, before she turned to leave. Yusuke cleared their throat, causing her to turn back around.

“Apologies for what happened in the car.” They frowned, “I was just… Shaken by everything.” 

Ohya smiled, appearing somewhat tired. “No worries kiddo.” She stated, shutting the door behind her and walking off, leaving Yusuke on their own in the small cafe space. 

A few hours later, a yellow corded phone rung from just near the entrance to Goethe. Yusuke picked it up, only to hear an unfamiliar voice on the other end — a teenage boy’s voice, rather rough and scratchy, as if unused. 

“Hey, dude,” He greeted, “‘Sup?”

“Um… Who are you?”

“Oh, uh, I’m… _Roger_.” The boy greeted, “I’m livin’ at Ichiko’s place… She uh, asked me to tell you to flip the sign over. She forgot as she was leavin’.” He chuckled awkwardly, “Man, this is really awkward…” 

Yusuke nodded. “Alright, I’ll do it.” They stated. “Thanks for the reminder, Roger.” 

“Heh, no probs, dude!” 

And with that as the farewell, the line went dead. Ohya didn’t mention someone living with her — she _did_ say that the reason Yusuke had to stay in the attic was because there wasn’t any room at her house, but… They sighed, placing the phone back onto its stand, and doing the task assigned to them, flipping the sign and looking around to see if no one was looking as they did so. An old habit of theirs, especially considering that the night the arrest happened was just a night where they were walking home from one of their jobs. 

Eventually they found themselves falling asleep much earlier than they expected to, possibly to get those dreams again -- but nothing came, instead leaving a restless night without much to do. The next morning was their first real day at Shujin Academy, and they were worried. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so several characters are introduced in this chapter; 
> 
> -temperance!maruki, who's yusuke's homeroom teacher
> 
> -priestess!haru, introduced for a short section
> 
> -strength!sae, velvet room attendant + a redesigned velvet room
> 
> -and this _roger_ individual... i wonder who that may be ;) 
> 
> i made the velvet room a casino in reference to sae's palace and also bc i like the idea of the velvet room appearing different in an au - just bc yusuke shares a backstory with akira doesnt mean that they have the same view of what a 'prison' is. yusuke strikes me as having something along the lines of sensory processing issues, so being stuck in a place thats loud, bright and filled with strange sensations would be rather offputting for them. 
> 
> also if you want to listen to some fitting music while reading this fic [here](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4NxgcG4n9iGeefqtWgF6FG) is a playlist of songs that i listened to while writing it! my association with rap when it comes to yusuke comes from [The King of Shujin Academy](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25280761/chapters/61291399) so if you want to check that fic out click the link! 
> 
> thanks again for reading, im currently writing through the next couple chapters so idk when the next part will be up. kamoshida's palace is a BITCH lbr


	3. Chapter 3

“Why didn’t Ohya-san warn me about rain?” Was the first question that rang through Yusuke’s mind as they raced from the station, holding their school bag above her head to try to protect themselves from the rain. The second question was “why didn’t I ask for directions to Shujin myself?” 

Yusuke knew the school was in the Aoyama-Itchome district, they had been to the school the day before, but they didn’t know where it was from the train. And now they were wearing a soaked uniform, struggling to look around for various Shujin students as they found themselves ducking under an awning for cover. 

They leant against the wall of the building they so happened to be standing in front of, watching as students ran through puddles, some giggling happily, others with heavy & panicked breaths. Yusuke adjusted their headphones to move them around their neck, letting their wet hair cover their eyes as their braid nearly looked drenched into their skin. 

“It’s hell, isn’t it?” A voice stated, causing Yusuke to turn to the individual who spoke. 

Their eyes were wide as they looked at the boy who’d chosen to stand next to them; tall and rather muscular, a mature looking squared jaw and somewhat messy chestnut brown hair. He was wearing the Shujin uniform - at least the pants and the shoes, he wasn’t wearing the blazer, instead wearing a red hoodie that made his athletic appearance more obvious. 

Yusuke nearly dumped their bag on the floor upon seeing the individual, who turned to face him with a smirk. His burgundy eyes held something in them that Yusuke couldn’t piece, as he frowned, placing his hands in the front pocket of his hoodie. The pair stood in silence for a while, and that was when a silver hatchback car pulled up to the curb.

Pulling down the window, a middle aged man stuck his head out the window. 

“Hey, Akechi! You need a lift?” He asked. 

Akechi bit his bottom lip and stepped forward with a shaky nod. “Uh… Yes, sure thing coach.” He smiled, as he entered the passenger seat of the car. The driver noticed that Yusuke was standing on the curb. 

“And how about you?” He stated, “Wanna get in on this?”

Something in Yusuke’s stomach told them to flee, to run away, but there was something stronger in their head -- this was an adult, quite possibly a teacher at Shujin. They’d already made a bad first impression due to their record, but saying no would make things even more problematic. They nodded, entering the backseat as the group drove in silence to Shujin. 

When the two students left the car at the gate, Yusuke noticed that the other students were staring at Akechi, some hiding sniggers behind hands or scarves, others glaring at him. He sighed, before looking at Yusuke. 

“I’m guessing you’re new here, right?”

Yusuke nodded, “Yes. I just transferred here.”

“Ah.” Akechi grinned, and God, his smile could light up an entire room, “Alright. I’m Goro Akechi, third year. It’s nice to meet you--”

Yusuke bowed. “Yusuke Kitagawa. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Akechi-senpai.” They then straightened, trying to make sure that their flush was hidden. Akechi chuckled, patting Yusuke on their shoulder.

“No need to be so formal. C’mon, let’s get in, beat the locker rush.”

Yusuke followed Akechi through the doors. Maybe it was because they came in with a fellow student instead of an adult, and wasn’t going straight to the Principal’s office, Shujin felt less oppressive the second time around. The giggling and stares from other students, especially when it came to Akechi, made things _hard_ , but it was less hard than the previous day. 

_“Ew, the fag’s found a friend.”_ One giggled, _“They’re multiplying.”_

_“Akechi-kun’s so pretty!”_ Another student stated, before they sighed, _“Such a shame he’s not into girls, though.”_

Akechi rolled his eyes in response to the rumors and sped up, as the pair eventually separated once Yusuke found the faculty office. With a shaky hand, they knocked on the door. That’s when they heard the clattering of papers and books, as lumbering footsteps caused the door to crash open -- Dr Maruki, dressed in his suit, hair a mess, eyes wide. 

“Ah… Sorry!” Maruki sighed, “You’re here earlier than I expected…”

Yusuke folded their arms, looking down at the floor, as Maruki stared at them. They raised a brow, before sighing;

“I got driven here. I _think_ the person who drove me here was one of the teachers?” 

Maruki nodded. “Alright then…” He then sighed, “You are quite possibly the _weirdest_ delinquent I’ve ever seen.”

“How so?”

Maruki shook his head. “Nevermind. I’ll take you to your class.”

xxx

Homeroom was very much an awkward affair. Yusuke introduced themselves with as much dignity as they could muster, but they were pretty sure news of their probation had begun to spread when the whispers from the classroom got louder. 

They were seen as the ‘threatening’ transfer student, even as they were shuffled into a random seat, behind a tall, caucasian girl. She had blonde hair tied into a pair of low twintails that brushed her shoulders, and was wearing the Shujin uniform pretty much to the letter, sans the red ribbon around her neck instead of the traditional black. 

She shot them a smile, and as Yusuke sat down, they heard the whispers spark up again.

_“Looks like the Detective Princess has some new prey!”_

_“I would love to be arrested by her any day of the week!”_

The Detective Princess… The name sounded familiar. The girl turned around and handed Yusuke a textbook.

“Here.” She greeted, “I don’t have any use for it anymore, so it’s yours.” 

Yusuke nodded. “Thank you.”

“It’s no problem!” 

Yusuke smiled, finally happy to have someone who understood. The girl turned back around, facing the front of the classroom with a smile, as Yusuke sighed. They couldn’t focus on anything, even the announcement that their first day would be ending early due to another train accident. How did their criminal record get leaked? 

xxx

When Yusuke was invited to the roof by Akechi after school, they didn’t know what to expect. Seeing the boy sitting on one of the desks, cracking open a soda, was quite possibly something they didn’t expect at all.

“Yknow, we aren’t normally allowed up here,” Akechi stated, his voice somewhat bitter, “But who cares, right?” He chuckled, before looking up at Yusuke. “You seem like you’ve been in some deep shit, Kitagawa-kun.” 

Yusuke gulped, before nodding.

“An assault charge, huh?” Akechi frowned, “Didn’t think some weedy kid like you had it in you. Well… There’s another reason I invited you up here.” Yusuke sat down in front of Akechi, as he took a sip of the soda. 

“You know the guy who drove us up to school this morning?” 

Yusuke shrugged. “No, not really--”

Akechi feigned shock with a surprise gasp. “You don’t know who Suguru Kamoshida is?” As he said that, Yusuke’s phone buzzed.

“According to him, he’s the hottest thing since sliced bread.” He rolled his eyes. “Olympic gold medalist, guy who brought the volleyball team to nationals -- taking credit for all _my_ hard work mind you-- and the cherry on top of this scumbag sundae!” He crushed the half empty can in his hand and leant over to Yusuke, as if telling him a secret.

“Rumor has it, the guy is a sexual deviant,” Akechi stated, “Guys, girls, he doesn’t give a fuck. All he cares about is looking out for number one, and that’s him.”

Yusuke paused, blinking. “So, why did you get in the car with him?” They asked, “I’m just the transfer student, so I didn’t know about all this.”

Akechi rolled his eyes. It was a strong departure from the polite young man who Yusuke met in the rain that morning, the bitter and arrogant persona appearing more comfortable on Akechi, fitting him like a glove. And if Yusuke was being honest, they found it surprisingly more attractive then the ‘good boy’ image that was portrayed beforehand. 

“According to the ‘lovely’ people of Shujin Academy -” Yusuke’s phone buzzed in their bag as he said that, “-I’m Kamoshida’s prized bitch. So, I’m just keeping up appearances, after all, I’m the ace player of the volleyball team, he can’t afford to keep me out of his sight.” He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “He treats this place like a goddamn castle, I swear.” 

The phone buzzed once more, and Yusuke probably thought of that as suspicious, but he was too engrossed in the story to hear more. Akechi yawned.

“Sorry for talking your ear off,” He stated, “But I figured you should know. I’m just looking out for you, Senpai’s honor.” 

Yusuke nodded, but as they stood up to walk off, their head began to spin. It was almost like motion sickness, as the leant over, blinking the pain off. Akechi paused for a moment. 

“...What was that?” He asked, rising to his feet to check on Yusuke, who nearly pushed him away. Akechi froze in response to the sudden hostility, and he frowned.

“The nurse’s office is on the floor below if you feel sick. Let’s go.” 

And with that, Akechi and Yusuke descended the stairs, only instead of landing in the familiar hallways of Shujin Academy, found themselves in a much different location. The walls were cobblestone, the floors lined with red carpet, walls decorated with flags. 

Yusuke shook their head, trying to get a grip on their surroundings, now taking a closer look as Akechi scoffed.

“What the hell?” 

“This… Didn’t look like this earlier?”

“Yeah, no shit.” Akechi deadpanned, before walking down the hall. “C’mon, we won’t learn anything by standing here and gawking, let’s get a move on.”

They passed down multiple cobblestone staircases, footsteps reverberating on the stony floors, as they found their way to another room that appeared even more regal than the one they stepped into. The plush carpet gave way to a large explosion of red, the room lit by candlelight as the floor was a black and white tile. 

“You gotta be kidding me… How’d we end up _here_?” Akechi asked, his voice barely a whisper as Yusuke looked around, now hearing the sound of clanking armor from behind them. They turned around, now facing a collection of knights.

**_“Halt! Intruders! What is your business trespassing the Castle of the Great Kamoshida?”_ **

“Trespassing?” Akechi shoved Yusuke out of the way of the knight, “Hey, jackass, we aren’t trespassing! We’re just trying to figure out where the hell the school went!” 

The knight’s mask appeared to twitch, as more knights surrounded the pair. Akechi blinked.

“What? Can’t give an answer?” He asked, now shoving the knight, only to get a shield to the face as a response, knocking him on his back. He groaned in pain, as Yusuke ran to Akechi’s defence. The knights crowded them, and before it all went black, Yusuke only had one thought;

_This just wasn’t their day_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hoo boy! here we go, into the [castle of lust!](https://youtu.be/0LmZ9wIkMxo)
> 
> fun fact; my cousin started playing persona 5 and due to the fact that ive never actually played the game - i know fake fan - i decided to join her in her experience of the game! and the worst part of kamoshida's palace, ive decided, is the fact that at certain points you straight up cant fuckin save. like a couple nights ago she had to cook dinner so she had to do the ENTIRE FUCKIN PALACE again due to the fact the game wouldnt let her save! stupid tutorial level lmao 
> 
> also, lovers akechi! fun fact; this chapter originally went the exact same way as in game, with our chariot being the one to enter the palace with yusuke, but due to our chariot having a COMPLETELY different backstory to ryuji - and a different reason to hate kamoshida - i decided to include them a little later down the line, and having yusuke instead enter the car with akechi and kamoshida was how i got around it! 
> 
> and a brief cameo from justice ann! considering that yusuke is rather separated from their starting party members, i figured id keep ann being the front desk neighbour of yusuke! she has a much bigger role than canon akechi, so i hope you enjoy :D 
> 
> next chapter will be yusuke's awakening and the introduction of a certain soft bean! i hope youre all ready for this one!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **TW: MISGENDERING, BRUISES, BURNING, GENERAL KAMOSHIDA DEBAUCHERY**

“Ngh…”

“Hey, Kitagawa, you alright? C’mon answer me!” 

Yusuke felt themselves roused from dreamless sleep, sitting up to find themselves in a dungeon, cobblestone walls surrounding them, as they noticed chains out of the corner of their eyes. Akechi sighed.

“Christ, I thought you got knocked out.” He whispered, “Are you okay? Any bruising?”

Yusuke shook their head, but their skin  _ was _ feeling tender in some places. They looked ahead of them to see that the pair were locked in this strange dungeon location. Whatever it was that had happened to them, it was very strange. They pinched themselves, and sharp pain moved from their wrist to their arm. Not a dream. 

Akechi muttered something under his breath, as the familiar knight’s came back around to ‘check’ on the group.

**_“Lord Kamoshida, we found these intruders sneaking around the foyer.”_ **

A familiar sounding chuckle reverberated through the room, as Akechi ran to the bars of the cage and held them, eyes wide. “What the hell? Kamoshida?”

Standing right in front of the gate was Kamoshida, but dressed in completely different clothing to before -- he had a crown on his head, was wearing a sequin robe lined with fur, and a pink speedo that could be seen beneath the robe. It was disgusting, but what made it more eerie was his golden eyes that pierced through the cell. Kamoshida smirked. 

**_“Ah, it’s you,”_ ** He stated,  **_“The Ace of the Volleyball Team, fallen from grace. When I heard there were intruders, I never would’ve expected Goro Akechi to be one of them.”_ **

Goro swallowed, leaning back as if he was shot, and that’s when Yusuke realizes that the king’s eyes are now on them instead. 

**_“And I see you bought a friend with you--”_ ** He licks his lips as he finishes the sentence and Yusuke subconsciously recoils,  **_“--Although, I would have sworn that ‘she’ was going in the other chamber.”_ **

Yusuke was about ready to throw up over the floor. They held the chain tightly, eyes narrowed, as Kamoshida chuckled once more, entering the chamber. 

**_“Unfortunately, I don’t have time to ‘play’ with you. The price for your trespassing--”_ ** He raised his hand and snapped his fingers,  **_“Is death.”_ **

“Death?!” Akechi shouted, “No goddamn way, the hell is going on-”

**_“Silence, prisoner!”_ **

And that’s when the knight slammed Akechi to the floor, his body hitting the ground like a sack of bricks. Yusuke tried to stand to run towards Akechi, but a pair of knights forced them back to the wall. They couldn’t see over the knights, but they could hear Akechi struggling, as Kamoshida laughed, moving the boy to a block. They were going to die here,  _ Akechi  _ was going to die here, and all Yusuke had to blame was themselves. They should’ve gone straight home, and never had to think of this again… 

_ Pathetic. _

  
  


Yusuke’s eyes shot open as they heard the voice speak. It wasn’t one of the knights, or Kamoshida, it was someone else. 

_ How dare you turn a blind eye to injustice? Are you just going to leave this boy to his fate? Was your previous decision a mistake as well? _

Yusuke froze, not responding to the voice. Their stomach flipped as they looked ahead. It was almost like the scene had paused before them, Akechi struggling to move from the block as Kamoshida swung an axe over head, the knights surrounding them once more. They gulped.

_ Well? What is your answer? _

“No…” They whispered. “No… It wasn’t a mistake. It was never a mistake.”

Raucous laughter erupted from behind their eyes. They felt their hands clasp against the chains on the wall, feeling the wall nearly  _ crack  _ under the pressure as they swallowed. The knights held them tighter, but the wall felt like it was going to burst open. 

_ Ah! Yes! The answer I was looking for! Now, let us make a deal--  _

Suddenly, the floor began to rumble, the ground almost feeling like it was shaking. Kamoshida moved from his position, as Akechi attempted to push himself off the block, but the knight behind him pushed down on his right leg, causing him to scream out in agony. Yusuke grit their teeth.

“Unhand him!” They shouted, and  _ god  _ their voice sounded way more powerful, less exhausted. Kamoshida looked over, axe brandished proudly. 

**_“Hmm? What was that?”_ **

The floor rumbled once more, as Yusuke tore a chain from the wall, letting it rest in their right hand. They stared forward, and the first thing that anyone would’ve noticed was the mask that was now adorning their face - a white fox mask with red embellishments, almost attached to Yusuke’s skin. They felt pain, agony, a burning sensation that was screaming at them to  _ remove  _ the mask. With the hand that was free of the chain, Yusuke reached, and the mask felt like it was stuck.

Pull, pull,  _ pull _ , as the room began to spin and heat began to fill in Yusuke’s lungs. Burning heat that crashed through their head and powered through like steam was filling out of their ears. As they continued to pull, Kamoshida ordered the guards to surround them once more, only for the mask to finally rip off as Yusuke let out a blood curdling scream, as the voice in their head continued to speak.

**_I AM THOU. THOU ART I._ **

_ Thou who art willing to sacrifice your purity for bloodshed. Thou who blasphemes the divine for thine justice. Speak thy name, and together we shall wreak havoc on this world!  _

The blood dripped to the floor in puddles, as Yusuke smirked, letting out a bone chilling laugh. The blood appeared to reform into flames, that took up Yusuke’s entire body, scorching the wall behind them as the chain in their right hand reformed, taking a much more solid form. An explosion of screaming colour took up the room, pushing away the knights that surrounded them, and completely disintegrating the one that had its leg on Akechi. That’s when the form of the voice in their head was made manifest;

It was a tengu like being -- literally built of fire, with bat wings instead of the traditional bird wings. Plumes of flame formed hair, as its legs ended with curved blades… Similar to the weapon that became of the chains in Yusuke’s right hand -- a long scythe with an extended blade. It didn’t have a face, but the markings in the flames appeared like a smirk, as it floated above Yusuke. 

Yusuke had changed as well - gone was the Shujin academy uniform, replaced by a navy blue tunic, matching leather pants, white cropped jacket and red gloves. The white, calf high boots completed the look, as did the red obi style belt that pushed itself up into a pair of ribbons, appearing almost like tails. Akechi, now able to move, blinked in shock as suddenly, the searing heat became fire, Yusuke swinging the scythe around in a semi-circle across their waist to control the flames. 

_ You are in the presence of the artist of destruction; Faust! I am the rebel’s soul that burns inside of you… Accept my power and together we shall crush your opponents!  _

Yusuke smirked, swishing the blade of the scythe towards the knights, burning them into piles of ash, as if they were never there. 

“I accept.” They stated, staring directly at Kamoshida. The ablaze room was a perfect distraction for Akechi, as he tackled the older man to the ground and wrestled a pair of keys from him. Holding the keys up, he scrambled to Yusuke’s side.

“So, shall we go?”

Yusuke nodded, running out of the room alongside Akechi as they slammed the door shut, locking Kamoshida in. Just as quickly as their change of clothes appeared, it was gone. Akechi panted.

“What… The… Hell… Was that?” 

That was when Kamoshida leapt up, grabbing onto the bars and shaking them. 

“We… We have to run… Now!” Yusuke shouted, as the pair ran away from the cell, trying to find their way around the locale they had been transported to. 

xxx

The place was as labyrinthian as they both expected, now they found themselves running around identical cells, as Akechi kept staring into them with wide eyes. They were all students from Shujin, dressed in almost identical gym uniforms, getting beaten, battered and bruised at the hands of the knight-like guards found in the palace. 

“Dammit… How many people has he  _ got  _ here?” 

Yusuke looked around. “A lot, apparently.”

“These are all  _ students _ ,” Akechi grumbled, “Great, I feel like complete shit. How’d I miss this?” 

His grovelling was interrupted by a voice calling for the pair by the side of the river. Yusuke blinked, before looking up as a chain dangled towards them. They grabbed it, before they reached down.

“Quick, hold on!”

“What the hell?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, do you  _ want  _ to swim the rest of the way?” 

Akechi blinked, grabbing onto Yusuke’s hand as they swung across the river on the chain, landing on the other side.

Akechi rolled his eyes. “Did you really have to go for the dramatics?” 

He then began to drag Yusuke to the cell where they heard the calls from. A paw reached out to try to grab a ring of keys, as small whimpering could be heard from the inside of the cell. Yusuke looked at the creature with a raised brow.

It was a lapine-like creature, with light ginger fur covering its entire body. It had a pair of floppy ears and wide, red eyes, that looked almost like it was going to cry any second now. Those wide eyes were covered by a pale pink, lacy looking mask. The strangest thing about it - aside from the mask, of course - was that it was wearing something along the lines of clothing -- a large red bow was latched to the side of its head like a hair accessory, a brown belt tied around its waist. 

On one side of the belt, Yusuke could see a gymnastics ribbon that dangled to the floor, and on the other, a pouch. Attached to its back by a pair of leather straps was the strangest part of its ensemble - an honest to god rifle. Yusuke titled their head as the rabbit immediately hopped up;

“Hey! Help! Please!” It squeaked out, and Yusuke could tell that the creature was feminine, “There’s keys over there! Can you unlock the cell? Please! For me!” 

Akechi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Great… We’re saving a demon rabbit from the magical castle, oh give me a break. I hope this shit is a dream.” Only to be interrupted by Yusuke grabbing the keys from the wall. “The hell do you think you’re doing, Kitagawa?” 

“You are seriously gonna leave a creature who is crying for help in a cell?” Yusuke sighed, “What is wrong with you, Senpai?” 

“I didn’t see you running back to help those guys earlier?!”

Yusuke ignored Akechi’s shouts and slid the key into the keyhole, turning it to the left as the creature exited the cell, adjusting its - her - belt and musket. She twirled around a bit, giving a small curtsey.

“Oh! Thank you  _ so  _ much, I thought I was gonna be trapped in there forever!” She smiled, “I’m Sumire, I’m forever in your debt, Senpai!” 

“Did she just call you-” Akechi rolled his eyes, “Ugh, nevermind.” 

Yusuke swallowed. “I’m Yusuke Kitagawa. That’s Goro Akechi.” They gestured to the other boy, who made a mocking curtsey in parody of the creature. Yusuke elbowed him in the gut, causing him to double over. 

“Oh, motherfu-”

“Oh, dear! Are you alright?” Sumire ran up to Akechi, Yusuke now noticing that the creature appeared to come up to their knees. Akechi sighed. 

“I’m fine… Been through worse… Nearly got my head chopped off.” He sighed, looking up at Yusuke, “Yusuke saved my ass.” 

Sumire turned to face that. “Is that true, Senpai?” As Yusuke nodded. “Oh, great! However, I don’t think either of you wanna stay here long… The distortion is off the charts.”

“Can you help us find an exit, Sumire?”

Sumire nodded. “Of course, follow me!” As she gestured to a bridge. Pulling down the jaw of a statue of Kamoshida, the bridge slid down and the group as a whole rushed across. That’s when they’re stopped by more of the knights. Yusuke notices that Sumire grabbed the mask attached to her face.

She removed it with a cry of ‘D'Artagnan!’ and that’s when they notice she has a similar being to the one they summoned. They pause for a moment, now realizing that Faust had returned to them, as had the change of outfit, summoning the creature behind them. 

“You have a Persona too, Senpai? Alright! Let’s do this together!” 

And she strikes the creature with her ribbon, forming more of a whip as she grins. The pair continue to attack the creature that had become of the knight, as fire and lightning pass through the being. When the creature finally dissipates into black goop, Sumire explained;

“That’s a Shadow, they’re the creatures that guard this place.” She began, “They represent the twisted desires of this place’s ruler.” 

“As in; Kamoshida?”

Sumire nods. “Yes, him! His distorted desires created this location -- I call it a palace.” Then she begins to move in the other direction, “Come on! I think there’s an exit this way!” 

And Yusuke & Akechi followed her, as Yusuke’s outfit returned to normal once again. The group eventually find themselves in a chamber, where a window faces the outside. Akechi nods. 

“I think… That’s it!” He stated, gesturing to the window. “I think I can give you a boost, Kitagawa. You look like you weigh about a handful of grapes.”

Yusuke, reluctantly, nods. “Sumire, are you coming as well?”

Sumire shakes her head. “I’d love to but… I have other things to do. I’ll see you around, Senpai!”

As Akechi gives Yusuke a boost, Sumire sighs, looking down at her feet. And just as quickly as the pair entered the palace, they left. 

xxx

_ You have now returned to the real world, welcome back _

The adrenaline from the whole experience had caused Yusuke to sweat, their entire body shaking - either with anticipation or fear, they weren’t sure which, as they found themselves standing in an alleyway alongside Akechi. The one thing was that their injuries hadn’t disappeared from the fight in the other location, and they had bruises pretty much everywhere, as well as burn marks on other sections of their skin. 

The one thing that was one their mind, however, was blind panic. They had a curfew. It was currently 6 o’clock at night. They’d been staying out ‘late’, Ohya must have shut  _ Goethe _ up by now… And she hadn’t given them keys! To make things worse, they felt their phone vibrate in their bag with missed calls and texts. Akechi noticed the panic in their eyes, as they swallowed, picking up the phone;

OHYA - Hey kiddo, it’s me! 

OHYA - You coming home or what?

OHYA - Don’t stay out too late, remember you’re on probation!

“I-I have to go…” Yusuke whispered, before they bolted off. 

Eventually they found their way to the station and on a train to Yongen-Jaya. After finally running through the empty and dark backstreets, they found themselves in front of Goethe, still open, as they barged through the door, panting intensely. Ohya was standing in front of the counter, biting her thumb as she ran towards them, picking them up in a hug.

“You scared me, kid!” She cried, and oh God, she had been crying, eyes watering with tears. “I thought you were dead, or got in a fight! Don’t worry me like that again!” She then pulled away, to see the copious amounts of bruises they had gained in the palace. She frowned. “...You did get in a fight, didn’t you?”

Yusuke nodded, not wanting to sound like an insane person;  _ No, Ohya-san, I was in a European castle dungeon with a boy from school, awoke a demon who claimed to be ‘the rebel’s soul who resided within me’ and escaped due to the help of a talking rabbit.  _

Ohya tutted. “Oh… Kid…” She frowned. “I know a place we could take you, I don’t know if it’s open right now, but I think she’ll give me a discount or somethin’...” 

Ohya dragged them out of the house and towards a large building they’d seen while running down the Yongen backstreets. It was very hidden, tucked into a corner with stairs leading up to it. Ohya raced up the stairs, and Yusuke followed, struggling to keep their bruises hidden from the world, afraid of the rumors that already accumulated at school spreading down to Yongen. 

Ohya burst through the doors. “Sadayo? Sadayo! I need your help!” 

“Honestly, Ichiko, if this is because you got black out drunk  _ again _ \--” A rather grouchy sounding voice stated, as a woman exited from the backrooms. She was a tall woman, with wiry brown hair tied back into a low bun and exhausted looking brown eyes. 

She was wearing clothes that could be described as ‘pastel goth’ -- a pale pink and black striped sweater over a black pleated skirt, pastel pink fishnet stockings and chunky black boots with lots of buckles and laces decorating them. Around her neck was a pale pink choker with a silver, heart shaped buckle. Over the top of this, making her outfit appear slightly more professional, was a white lab coat. 

She sighed. “Ichiko, who is this?”

“This is my ward… For this year of course.” Ohya rubbed her hand behind her neck, “They’re on probation and uh… I kind of know their mom and--”

“Save the sob story--” Sadayo walked towards Yusuke, examining them with her eyes, “--Jeez… How’d you get all these bruises?”

Yusuke bit their lip, not wanting to explain the story again as if to find holes. Sadayo sighed.

“No need to explain. C’mon, let’s go to the exam room.”

Eventually in the exam room, Yusuke removed their school top to reveal the bandages they used for binding. Sadayo winced.

“...Do you tie these yourself?”

Yusuke nodded. “Yes. My mother can barely afford her own medicine, I doubt she can afford HRT.” 

Sadayo raised a brow. “That’s… Really terrible, Kitagawa.” She sighed. “Look, I’m pretty sure Ohya-san here can raise some spare bucks for a binder… As for your other injuries--” She looked over their back, seeing the burn marks from Faust’s awakening, the bruises from being thrown against a wall. If that was how  _ they  _ were looking from just a small amount of injuries, how was  _ Akechi _ looking? 

“You should see the other guy.” Yusuke deadpanned, as Sadayo rolled her eyes.

“Now’s not the time for jokes.” She huffed, “There’s a lot of markings here… In any other situation you would barely be standing, Kitagawa.” She looked over at Ohya, still biting her thumb in panic.

“D-Don’cha have that ‘miracle cure’ or somethin’ like that?” She stated, her voice quick.

Sadayo sighed. “That hasn’t been tested yet.” She appeared almost disappointed. “After my ‘stunt’ with Takase-kun, I’ve pretty much been blacklisted.” 

Ohya raised her brows. “Dammit, those jackasses are  _ still _ caught up on that?”

“Those ‘jackasses’ nearly sued me for all I’m worth, Ichiko.” Sadayo huffed, leaning forward. “Do you feel any pain, Kitagawa?”

Yusuke shook their head, as if not to bother her. They adjusted their form, trying to avoid looking down at the bandages -- they were so distracting, revealing an imperfect body beneath them. Sadayo noticed their expression, and disappeared for a second, before coming back with a skin colored binder, that slid on their form perfectly. 

“I-Is this…”

“On the house.” Sadayo smiled, before returning to her usual exhausted looking state. “You can always come back to me for medicine, or advice. Anything you need.” 

Yusuke nodded, as Sadayo turned to face Ohya. “Keep them out of trouble, you got that?”

“I was  _ trying _ to!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, listen to [Bonfire by Childish Gambino](https://youtu.be/qTGTcUwDPn4) during the awakening bc it surprisingly fits!
> 
> now for the persona -- faust is the protagonist of a german legend. dissatisfied with life, he makes a deal with the devil, exchanging his soul for knowledge and worldly pleasures. there has been _several_ works based off faust over the years, such as the 1879 play by goethe. faust's design was somewhat of a combination of yusuke's canon themes involving japanese myths and legend (i specifically designed it after a tengu) with a more western lit to it! also yusuke is a fire user in this au - idk why, just felt like it would fit!
> 
> also; time for some magician!sumire! precious small bean! i originally was gonna make her a cat but i changed her to a rabbit bc i felt like that was more fitting! her mask is based off [Barbie and the Three Musketeers](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a4/6e/b0/a46eb0c770f10326335af0ca15a33c76.jpg) which is also partially where her altered persona comes from!
> 
> her persona is d'artagnan, the protagonist of the three musketeers. hes described as being 'foolhardy and clever', and aspires to join the musketeers in paris, leading to a lot of shenanigans, especially involving a certain milady de winter and cardinal richelleu. sumire is the lightning user of the team, mainly due to female lightning users being VERY uncommon - like i think most zio users are male :(
> 
> finally - dr kawakami! ma'am... i made her a pastel goth bc i thought it would fit very well with her whole aesthetic - a combination of the harshness of traditional goth with a more soft nature like pastels. she's a bit of a grouch atm but she eventually warms to yusuke and company, especially considering everything thats going on.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **TW: GENERAL KAMOSHIDA DEBAUCHERY, PHYSICAL ABUSE, REFERENCES TO SEXUAL ASSAULT**

After the surprisingly rough day, awakening in the Velvet Room was less of a surprise to Yusuke as normal. They looked ahead to see Igor smiling, appearing very proud. 

“Congratulations, Trickster,” He stated, “You have completed your first trail. Your rehabilitation is coming along nicely.” 

Yusuke blinked. “F-First trial?”

Igor grinned. “Yes, indeed! You have discovered the Metaverse Navigator, and begun your exploration into the world’s distortion.” He leant forward, eyes wide. “That app was bestowed upon you by myself, so I thank you for using it this time.”

Yusuke shook their head, entire body shaking. What the hell was going on here? They saw Sae, the woman from before, lean over the counter, her golden eyes affixed on Yusuke, causing them to swallow once more. Yusuke tried to speak, wondering what to say next, as Sae looked over at Igor. 

“You could say that it’s a gift.” Sae stated, “As is your Persona.” 

Suddenly, seated behind Yusuke was the flaming individual he summoned. Faust, descended, flames licking Yusuke’s shoulders as the figure let out a deep chuckle in response to Yusuke’s surprise at its appearance. 

“I can also gift the navigator to those who are deemed of use to your rehabilitation,” Igor continued, “Your bonds are what will be important for this partnership. Don’t lose sight of them.” 

Yusuke sighed in response, looking over their shoulder at Faust. “So… What is it?”

“Faust is you, your purest essence--” Sae stated, wiping a glass from the counter, “They represent your inner spirit of rebellion. It will be what saves you from the oncoming distortion.” 

“You keep saying distortion, are you going to inform me what that is?” 

That was when the dinging of a bell interrupted the short conversation. 

“Unfortunately not, as our time is up once more,” Igor stated, watching Yusuke as they fell to their knees. “Sleep well, Trickster, the next page of your journey is being written as we speak…”

And Yusuke snapped awake again in _Goethe_ , seeing their new binder sit folded on the chair next to them. Their dreams were getting stranger by the minute, and they still didn’t know _why_ that was happening. Maybe it had something to do with the castle? Or the app? 

Whatever it was, it was too strange to comment on. They got changed and came downstairs to find Ohya, making breakfast.

“Oh!” She looked up at them with a raised brow. “You’re… Going to school today?” 

Yusuke nodded.

“Yknow, I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t after yesterday…” Ohya frowned, “How’re you holdin’ up? Still sore?”

Yusuke shook their head. Ohya sighed.

“That’s good.” She smiled, placing the curry down. “Some food for the road?”

Yusuke shook their head in response. They weren’t really feeling that hungry. And besides, there was a school shop at Shujin they could buy food from if they got hungry later down the line. But they paused, it did seem appealing, and they took a few bites before they left. 

It was so much better than they thought. Ohya grinned in response, as they stood up and ran towards the station. Didn’t want to be late on their second day, especially considering the rumors that had started to form about them. 

Managing to quickly get on a train, they found themselves sitting across from another Shujin student -- one who appeared rather unfamiliar. She was tall, pretty muscular, had tan skin and long, messy brown hair tied up into a ponytail. She had blunt cut bangs, with red clips in them, although what Yusuke noticed was that the clips were decorated with a cartoon panda image.

Her uniform was the girls’ one, but was modified; her blazer sleeves were rolled up to reveal bandages that covered her arms and hands. Beneath her skirt were a pair of black, fishnet stockings, paired with black, lace up boots instead of the traditional brown loafers. She had an expression on her face that looked like she could fight the world and _win_. 

And that expression was turned onto Yusuke, who chose instead to turn their music louder, trying to vanish from the woman’s view. The woman, for her part, also turned around, revealing the red industrial piercing in her right ear. Yusuke swallowed. She’d barely opened her mouth, and yet she was _intimidating_. Later, when they’d left the train, the girl had begun to follow them as they found their way to Shujin Academy. And by the time they’d arrived at the school, the girl had elbowed them so hard in the gut that they felt like they were about ready to unravel, before she vanished up the stairs. 

Yusuke followed, now internally wishing that they were instead back in the castle as people had _saw_ the girl elbow them and that meant rumors would arrive;

_“Dude, Niijima just hit the new guy!”_

_“Woah, what is up with her?”_

_“Maybe she’s trying to keep her turf? The Dragon of Shujin being threatened by the new kid?”_

Yusuke made a mental note to look out for this Niijima, she seemed rather important in the grand scheme of things. 

xxx

Akechi had gotten Yusuke to meet him after school at the bleachers. When Yusuke met him, he had just finished a conversation with a rather scrawny looking second-year, who Yusuke recognised from their homeroom class - scruffy, dark blue hair, short and lithe, with slight bruises on his arms. When Akechi noticed Yusuke, the boy turned around and nearly sprung up in a panic. 

Akechi smiled, his good boy facade made clear. “Yuuki… Don’t worry about them, Kitagawa-kun is my friend.” 

Yusuke nodded, as Yuuki frowned.

“Okay then… S-So! I’ll see you a-after practise tomorrow?”

Akechi gave him a thumbs up, as Yuuki smiled, a grin crossing his rather bruised looking features as he ran off, Yusuke now noticing Yuuki’s limp in his right leg. Akechi sighed, his expression darkening. 

“You would know him right?” He stated, his voice cold, “Yuuki Mishima. He’s in your year.”

Yusuke swallowed. “Is he--”

“Yes, he is.” Akechi said it curtly, almost unemotional. Then he stretched. “Now, I was thinking about going to that place again. However, retracing our steps isn’t an option -- mainly because Niijima found out we were using her ‘hideout’.” 

Yusuke blinked, recognising the name Niijima. The image of the punk looking girl who sat across from them at the subway, and later elbowed them in the side before school, as Akechi rolled his eyes. 

  
“I’m guessing you already heard about her --” He began, his voice almost wistful as if recounting an urban legend, “Makoto Niijima. The Dragon of Shujin Academy. Niijima was a nice girl once upon a time, good grades, polite, the whole stereotypical image of perfection. And then… Something happened--” He frowned.

“--No one knows what, but she just _broke_ , becoming the person who you see today. When she started, they would’ve said she was a shoe-in for Student Council President, and now…” He sighed, looking down at his feet. “She just thinks life’s like a Yakuza movie, don’t worry about her. She isn’t a big deal.” 

The something that happened to Niijima seemed to ring of ‘Kamoshida’, according to Yusuke. After all, Akechi had mentioned that he was a ‘sexual deviant’, not caring about who he hurt just so long as he could… And ruining a person’s life and prospects didn’t seem too far out for him. Especially considering that they had another theory about how their record got leaked. 

Akechi shoved his hands into his hoodie’s pockets, looking at Yusuke. “So… How do we get back in? We can’t retrace our steps, and I can’t find any evidence of a castle. But the bruises on both of our bodies _proves_ that it wasn’t a dream…”

Yusuke paused, remembering Igor’s words the previous evening;

_“I can also gift the navigator to those who are deemed of use to your rehabilitation...”_

The Navigator… 

“Hey, check your phone.”  
  


“Already have, no evidence of a castle or anything--”

“No, I mean check your phone for something…” Yusuke frowned, pulling out their own phone and turning it to face Akechi. Akechi blinked, looking at the red icon, and grabbing the phone from Yusuke’s hands. He blinked.

“Holy shit!”

“It’s an appealing icon, isn’t it?”

“I wouldn’t call it that but…” As Akechi pressed the app, his eyes widened. “Woah… A navigation app?”

“It’s called the Metaverse Navigator, I believe.” 

“Aha!” Akechi grinned, “Search history, right there.” He looked up. “So that’s how we get back in?” 

“Akechi, I don’t think--”

“Hush, I can defend myself.” Akechi smiled. “And away we go.” 

_Suguru Kamoshida. Shujin Academy. Castle. Beginning navigation._

And with the push of the button, the courtyard and bleachers melted away to the back of the strange castle, a drawbridge lowered revealing the entrance. Yusuke shook their head, looking down to see that they were now in the attire from when they first summoned Faust. They stared at the gloves, flexing their fingers beneath the red leather as they looked down at their outfit. 

Akechi rolled his eyes. “And when you’ve finished oogiling yourself… How about we go back in?”

Yusuke nodded in response, turning to face the drawbridge as the pair raced back into the Castle, arriving at the familiar dingey, dirty room they’d escaped from last time. 

“Psst! Hey!” A familiar voice called, as the humanoid rabbit known as Sumire poked her head out from behind the wall. “You guys came back?” 

Yusuke nodded, gesturing to Akechi. “It was his idea.”

“I came back here for a reason.” Akechi frowned, holding his right arm tightly. “The prisoners we saw last time were all students… I have to go and save them.”

xxx

As they managed to find their way to where the slaves were hidden, Yusuke and Sumire basically defeated entire armies of Shadow Guards on their way to the location; titled the Training Hall of Love, Goro entered to see a horrifying visage -- students dressed in the Shujin standard tracksuit, running their bodies raggard on treadmills lined with spikes for the promise of water, getting battered by guards with large sticks, hit repeatedly with volleyballs… 

He felt sick just looking at it.

“We have to get them out of there!” He cried, about ready to jump into the cage himself, when a furry hand pulled him back. Sumire, appearing almost pitiful of him, frowned.

“...These aren’t the real students.” She whispered, her voice apologetic, “They’re more like… Extremely lifelike dolls.” She frowned. “But this means that Kamoshida is doing this in the real world as well… So your concern is justified, Senpai.” 

That didn’t change the fact that even with all the concern in the world, this abuse was happening right under his goddamn nose. How dare he even _claim_ to be the captain, when he missed all of this happening? It was a rumor, he thought, aside from the other ones, but even then… He didn’t do a thing to stop it. 

“Akechi-senpai?” Yusuke’s voice was softer as they laid a hand on Goro’s shoulder. “We should go.” 

Goro swallowed and nodded, as they began to run to find more of the palace. Later, in order to prove he wasn’t useless to the whole expedition, Goro revealed what he had brought with him to help with combat --

“A… Model gun?”

“I live near an airshop store. It’s not much, but it makes noises. I think it could startle the creatures here.”

“Hold on, let me see!” As Sumire swiped the gun from Goro using her ears as extra limbs, she observed the gun with wide red eyes. She tittered a little bit, looking at its details. “Wow… It appears realistic enough…” She froze, before swallowing. “Akechi-senpai, are you okay with letting Yusuke-senpai use this for the time being?”

“I mean, sure, they’re the one who’s actually fighting, so why not?”

And after Yusuke ambushed another collection of shadows, the gun mutated to match them -- going from a simple handgun to a much more stylish looking revolver, old fashioned in appearance, almost like it belonged in the hand of a cowboy and not a high school student. 

With two shots, the creatures collapsed into a pile of black goop, as Goro smiled.

“Ah, I see!”

The pair turned to face him, as he folded his arms. “Sumire stated this world was created from Kamoshida’s cognition, right? So if his guards view the gun Yusuke’s holding as a threat…”

“It can transform an airshop gun into an actual weapon!” Yusuke finished eyes wide, looking down at the weapon as they slid it into a holster on their outfit. As they turned away to walk down the corridor into another room, they smirked back at Goro. “Well, I guess it’s high noon somewhere in the world.”

Goro paused, brows furrowed, as Yusuke sighed.

“Honestly, you do not understand culture at all, Senpai.”

“I don’t get it either!” 

Finally, they stumbled across the familiar starting courtroom, with the familiar visage of Shadow Kamoshida alongside it, surrounded by knights. And that was when it all fell apart, Goro finding himself pushed back as Yusuke and Sumire were overwhelmed. Kamoshida laughed, and laughed, _mocking_ Goro for turning a blind eye to all of his misdeeds, saying that Goro was the perfect little puppet, soon to become the mini-me, his _star_ , his ace… Made useless. 

Yusuke, body beneath Kamoshida’s right foot, struggled to their knees.

“Don’t listen to him!” They shouted, voice choked out, “You aren’t useless! He’s just saying this to get you to run again! Now tell me -- who are you; Kamoshida’s Ace, or Goro Akechi?” 

Goro felt himself stumble back, staring down Kamoshida with the fury of a thousand suns. His eyes flashed gold for a split second. Goro smirked;

“You bastard… Thinking you could control me?” And Goro ran towards Kamoshida, but was nearly thrown back by a gold plated guard, only to instead skid to his feet, sliding back as he shoulder charged the guard. This power… This energy, it was intoxicating…

He wanted more.

_And I thought you would never decide this path!_

A voice called out, but it was both unfamiliar and familiar - regal sounding, low, confidant and powerful. Goro looked around the room, trying to figure out what was even happening at the moment, feeling his stomach swirl as the room appeared to drop. The guard was about to fight back, when a shield of pure darkness stopped it from even touching Goro’s body. 

_After all, you’ve turned a blind eye for so long. Now, to face your reflection, and break the chains you’ve been so comfortable in! You don’t want to become him now, do you?_

Goro’s teeth gritted, pulling back a bit, now feeling pain ravage through his temple and eyes, a sharp burning sensation that gave way to searing bliss, almost like the breath of the Gods was thrown onto him. He continued to stare at Kamoshida from the protective bubble. 

“No… And I will never let someone like him control me again!”

_Excellent! You’ve come to your senses at last! Now, here’s where our deal begins;_

**_I AM THOU. THOU ART I._ **

_You’ve been kind and willing for far too long, my darling. You must part from your old, submissive self. Now, unfurl your wings of rebellion, and shoot off into the heavens, seperate from this man’s desires of you!_

And much like Yusuke before him, Goro grabbed onto the mask that now adorned his face -- sharp, pointed, deep red, the nose appearing like that of a pointed harlequin. The court jester assigned to the king of Shujin Academy. And with a sharp _tear_ and a cry of pain, the room exploded into blue flame, leaving a much different figure before the king. 

Gone was the Ace of the Volleyball Team, the good boy who kept his mouth shut and turned a blind eye to Kamoshida’s injustices. His outfit appeared more princely, colored a slate grey with red embellishments, black epaulettes and matching red boots, his gloves a dark black that held the night in them. In his left hand was a rapier. As he pulled his head up with a glare, he brandished the rapier with a fail swoop, and snarled at Kamoshida. 

“You bastard!” And now he ran at the man, who sicced his remaining guards on the trio. 

The creature behind him, a humanoid figure holding onto a golden picture frame, half appearing like a dashing young gentlemen in 19th century clothing, while the other half appeared as a horrifying, androgynous demon, long pointed tail and matching goat-style horns. As the frame passed over, its appearance altered, with black magic and dark energy. 

The guards transformed into creatures, as Goro smirked at them. 

Here is my true power, what you’ve been hiding for so long!” Goro pointed with his rapier, “With Dorian Gray alongside me, I will _end you_ Kamoshida!” 

And with an explosion of darkness, the beasts dissipated, becoming black and red mush, leaving an exhausted Goro staring up at his former coach. Kamoshida chuckled.

_**“Oh, Goro~”** _He sweetly chimed in, _**“You don’t realize what you’ve given away by opposing me…”**_ He then whistled, ordering a figure to enter the room, causing the sound of a jingling collar. 

The individual was… Niijima, hair tied back, wearing a deep red velvet bikini, matching red stilettos and… Dog ears? And a tail? 

“Okay, this shit is fucking weird.” Goro winced, “C’mon Niijima, snap out of it!”

“I don’t think that’s the real Niijima.” Yusuke frowned. “It’s how Kamoshida views her. He views her as--”

_**“My bitch.”** _Kamoshida smiled, **_“And unless you want your_** **_friend_ ** **_to become like her, I’d suggest you give it up.”_** And that’s when more guards surrounded the pair, as Sumire immediately ordered the group to escape, them finding a quiet room to regroup.

“That was amazing, Akechi-senpai!” Sumire exclaimed, as Goro hunched over, retching.

“Thanks… No if you’ll excuse me--” He paused for a moment, looking down at the princely costume he had been given. “W-What?” 

Sumire smiled. “Yep! That’s your spirit of rebellion!” She twirled a bunny ear like it was a strand of hair. “You _do_ look rather dashing.” 

“She’s not wrong.”

“Don’t encourage her, Kitagawa.” Goro sighed. “We… We should leave. I feel like I could sleep for a month.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're back in the velvet room! yay! 
> 
> also, punk makoto! i couldnt wait to introduce her, and i figured i would place her somewhere here! she has a connection to kamoshida, as you can tell by her appearance in the castle. i _think_ her cognitive self having a dog theme came from a fic wherein makoto was the wild card and involved in the first palace but idk which one :'D 
> 
> also, mishima! he seems rather strange... what's he doing now? hmmm...
> 
> and akechi's persona! dorian gray is the protagonist from the picture of dorian gray written by oscar wilde. obsessed with protecting his youth and beauty, dorian gray indirectly takes an offer from lord henry wolton to transfer his age and debauchery to a portrait painted by basil wolton. it doesnt end well for him but hey! i wanted to use him lmao. 
> 
> i used akechi's prince design but modified it - more of a 'dark prince' like outfit, sort of like how ryuji appears like a thug in the metaverse due to that being how he appears to people in reality. akechi later appears as a fallen 'hero' for the adults, which is why his outfit takes canon akechi's pure white prince outfit and switches it to a dark grey. also his gloves are black as he focuses on curse skills, as you could tell by his persona protecting him during the battle!
> 
> edit 29th jan -- i updated the spelling of dorian gray because apparently i spelt it wrong this whole time :')


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **TW: REFERENCES TO PHYSICAL ASSAULT & SEXUAL ASSAULT**

After saying farewell to Sumire, Goro _dragged_ Yusuke out of the alleyway they’d landed in when they returned to the real world and to a beef bowl shop in Shibuya. They’d texted Ohya to tell her that they’d be coming home a little later - but this time because they were hanging out with a friend in Shibuya, and _not_ because they got tangled up in a gangland war or whatever Ohya believed had happened the previous night. 

“You raced off yesterday, what was that about?” Goro asked, when they sat down at the beef bowl shop after he ordered from the poor high school student who looked _way_ too underpaid for this nonsense. 

Yusuke sighed. “Well… I have a curfew at the moment. It’s due to the fact that… As you found out… I’m on probation, for assault. You already know that.”

Goro looked Yusuke up and down. “Yeah, but you? _Assault_? Did you tap someone a little too hard and they panicked?” 

Yusuke grit their teeth, tapping the table as their bowls arrived. “Something along those lines…” They nodded at the waiter as they placed the bowls down, Goro immediately taking chopsticks and digging the bowl up as gracefully as he could, “I should open this tale by saying my mother is very sickly. A respiratory illness. We used to live in Tokyo, but we moved in with relatives in Inaba when I was 3 years old.” 

They frowned, poking their bowl with the chopsticks, “I worked three jobs to help pay for my mother’s medical expenses, and when I got arrested, I was walking home from one of those jobs… It was a dark night, and I was making my way home when I heard a woman screaming…” 

They sighed. “I followed her voice and found a young woman being dragged into a car by some man I couldn’t quite see, he was also very drunk. I stepped in between them, and I guess I must have moved my arm in one direction or something, because I apparently hit him with enough force that he landed on his back.” 

Goro paused mid-eating with a raised brow. “Kitagawa. How?”

Yusuke shrugged, before continuing their story. “He was injured, and he was very aggressive towards me, eventually convincing the woman I _rescued_ from him to inform the police that I ‘assaulted’ him.” Yusuke sighed. “My cousin was close to a person on the local police force, but even then, nothing was rescued. In fact, it was thanks to my cousin’s help that I only got off with probation.” 

Naoto Shirogane was a very determined man. The second he discovered that his cousin was getting arrested for a crime that was very out of character for them, he began work to try to clear his baby cousin’s name. Dragging his former legal guardian Ryotaro Dojima into the mess didn’t help matters, but the entire story had holes in it no one could crack.

Only problem? For some reason, the man’s word was law. Even though Naoto had tried everything to rescue his cousin, nothing happened, leading to Yusuke’s arrest. The only thing that did help was an assist from the former Detective Prince, Yosuke Hanamura, who put his foot down and figured out a way to save Yusuke from juvenile detention - mainly because “what if they put ‘em in a woman’s jail?” - leading to the sentence being lessened to probation thanks to some legal debauchery. 

Yusuke tried to live a normal life for their last few weeks in Inaba, but getting ‘let go’ from Yasogami High and having to start again as a second year student in Tokyo was stressful for them. It also helped that Naoto had argued for Yusuke’s correct name and pronouns to be put on their record, but even then it was hard to push. The fact the I.D. said Yusuke Kitagawa when they picked it up was a blessing. 

Yusuke sighed. “So, that’s my story… Uh… Akechi-senpai, are you...”

Akechi was _crying_ . He hid sniffles with a hand and wiped his eye slightly. “N-No! You didn’t see shit!” He exclaimed, looking away from Yusuke, “It’s just… _Man_ , that must be hell for you, Kitagawa.” He sighed, “I live with my mom, so I get how it feels to want to do everything for her. And what about your father?”

Yusuke shook his head. “I have no idea who he is.”

Akechi snorted. “God, that’s one thing we have in common.” He smiled, “My dad up and left our family when I was really young. He supposedly got my mom pregnant after she had been dancing at a nightclub.” He paused, his face darkening. “Don’t comment on that.”

“I wasn’t going to.”

Akechi rolled his eyes. “You’re the first.” 

As Akechi gave them a playful smirk, Yusuke could see something in his eyes. Trust, devotion, friendship… It was rather warm, filling their heart with the same amount of warmth they had felt when awakening;

_I AM THOU. THOU ART I_

_THOU HAST ACQUIRED A NEW VOW. IT SHALL BECOME THE WINGS OF REBELLION THAT BREAKETH THY CHAINS OF CAPTIVITY_

_WITH THE BIRTH OF_ **_THE LOVERS_ ** _PERSONA, I HAVE OBTAINED THE WINDS OF BLESSING THAT SHALL LEAD TO FREEDOM AND NEW POWER_

  
  


The warmth died down as Akechi grinned at him. 

“Hey, uh… Since we’re apparently friends and all now…” Akechi pulled out his phone, “Let’s exchange numbers. And chat IDs as well.” He smiled. “It’s nice to finally have someone else to talk to, right, Yusuke?” 

Yusuke pauses for a minute, feeling uncomfortable with the sudden first name drop. It feels strange to hear that name associated with them, but its warmth is comparable to the same warmth they’d felt a few minutes ago. They outstretched a hand, as Akechi took it.

“Indeed, Goro.” 

xxx

When Yusuke returned to _Goethe_ , their phone buzzed in their pocket. They removed it and looked at the messages that had been sent;

[GORO] - Hey, this is Goro Akechi

[GORO] - Just checking to see if I have the right number

[YUSUKE] - you do

[GORO] - Thank God, I was about to talk about our little ‘secret’ and was ready to look like a crazy person to a complete stranger

[GORO] - But thanks again

Yusuke smiled at their phone, causing Ohya to look up from her paper.

“Ah, are you making friends?”

Yusuke nodded, as Ohya smiled.

“That’s great! You don’t wanna be alone in Tokyo, especially with…” She made a vague hand gesture, “Yknow… That.” She sighed. “I’ll be locking up in a few hours, you aren’t gonna need to turn over the sign this time.” 

Yusuke nodded, looking back down at their phone to see another message pop up.

[UNKNOWN NUMBER] - wassup! r0g3r here! 

[YUSUKE] - how’d you get my number?

[UNKNOWN NUMBER] - u dont need 2 kno, man. 

[UNKNOWN NUMBER] - all u need 2 kno is that

[UNKNOWN NUMBER] - i got ure back now! 

[UNKNOWN NUMBER] - ＼(＾O＾)／

Yusuke blinked, before sighing. Whoever this ‘Roger’ individual was, they seemed to be on their side. They looked up at Ohya, locking eyes with her as she folded her paper and placed it on the counter. 

“Have you heard of someone called… ‘Roger’?”

Ohya shrugged. “Can’t say I have, no. Why’re you asking?”

Yusuke shook their head. “Nevermind.” That was when their phone dung again;

[UNKNOWN NUMBER] - harsh man!

[UNKNOWN NUMBER] - i have bugs installed all around goethe

[UNKNOWN NUMBER] - i thought she would kno by now

[YUSUKE] - bugs? as in beetles or

[UNKNOWN NUMBER] - tech stuff lmao 

[UNKNOWN NUMBER] - im keepin tabs on the whole situation (｡◝‿◜｡)

[YUSUKE] - how do you make those face things

[UNKNOWN NUMBER] - god u really are a clueless pretty boy 

[YUSUKE] - not a boy but thank you 

[UNKNOWN NUMBER] - ur none-binery?

[UNKNOWN NUMBER] - like you have no binary?

[YUSUKE] - uh yeah?

[UNKNOWN NUMBER] - thats so cool dude 

Yusuke sighed. Not only did they have Akechi, this Roger person seemed like an excellent ally. That would be if they knew who the Roger person was -- likely he was the same Roger who called them after Ohya forgot to turn the sign around. But that was a mystery for another day.

As they lay in bed later, they thought about Sumire -- where was she when they weren’t in the Palace? Was she just an ordinary rabbit? Or was she a creature from Kamoshida’s palace granted autonomy? Considering how Kamoshida viewed women normally - the bikini clad Nijjima proving that point - it was strange that an anthropomorphic rabbit existed in a shockingly non-sexy and more childlike way. Yusuke remembered seeing those creatures in the manga they used to read as a child -- typical cartoony creatures created for the enjoyment of children. 

What was she? Yusuke sighed, deciding that such questions were far too stressful for before bed, and chose instead to go to sleep, not dreaming of velvet and neon, instead dreaming of fire, thunder and shadows. 

xxx

Makoto Niijima leant against a wall, looking down at her phone blankly. Another message from that rat Kamoshida, asking about their ‘deal’. Less of a ‘deal’, and more blackmail - the Dragon of Shujin had a secret, and if it were to get out, she’d be made a laughing stock by the entire school. Kamoshida knew said secret, and held it up in exchange for…

Well… Favors. Favors that forced bile up Makoto’s stomach and to her throat. But she had to do these favors, after all, her secret was too life ruining to let escape Kamoshida’s lips. She was pretty sure he was going to leak it anyway, just like how he leaked the poor transfer student’s criminal record. 

Why? Makoto couldn’t say. ‘Because he could’ was the only answer that sprung to mind as she sighed, texting her mother an apology for staying out late that night. She’d found herself outside of Untouchables in Shibuya, a small model gun shop that was on Central Street. She knew the owner - Chihaya Mifune - rather well, mainly as she’d taken on a part time job at the location.

What she _didn’t_ expect that night was to see Goro Akechi - good boy extraordinaire - leave Untouchables with a variety of guns. Holding her phone closer to her face, as if not to alert the other boy of her presence, she saw a brief image of the models in the brown paper bag Goro was carrying - the outline of a revolver, the butt of a musket, and the tip of a shotgun. 

She raised a brow, trying to get closer, but he faded out of her reach. She muttered a curse as she saw a response from her mother;

[MOM] - curry 4 dinner tonite! plz dont stay out too late

[MOM] - mako-chan, ur father’s worried about u

Makoto hadn’t told her parents about her ‘deal’ with Kamoshida… Or even the secret the deal was created to uphold. Sure; while Kotone Niijima and Akhiko Sanada seemed relaxed, Makoto had no idea how they’d respond to either of those secrets. The daughter of an officer and an actor, being used as an object by an unscrupulous teacher? And what about the other secret… 

The other secret would destroy her. She sighed and took the train, trying to forget the transfer student she rammed with her elbow that morning. Trying to forget how they seemed so innocent, far too innocent to have a criminal record. But it’s always the innocent ones, always the good ones. Maybe she was a cynic, but it was true. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, time for a backstory drop! yusuke's story is very much an intense one, much like akiren's in canon. the only difference is i dont think akiren had pals on the legal system to help him out. 
> 
> yep! ive included the p4 and p3 cast in this arcanaswap! the p3 arcanaswap cast are only important when makoto is mentioned, and maybe for a bit of the potential okumura arc, however the p4 cast is VERY important, due to yusuke coming from inaba and having lived alongside naoto & kanji! the swaps that are seen include fool!naoto & fortune!yosuke, as for the p3 swap, emperor!kotone & lovers!akihiko! 
> 
> another brief cameo from a future confidant - that being untouchable's owner, chihaya mifune! i gave makoto a part time job at untouchable bc i imagined the SECOND she found out that the owner was an ex-member of the yakuza, she jumped at the chance to meet her lmao. i cant wait to properly introduce chihaya, especially considering i havent really introduced any of the confidants yet lmao
> 
> also roger's unique texting style is inspired by several different text chat fics involving this character, so i hope it comes across well in the arc! i also decided to keep yusuke being rather technology blind lmao, but in a more subtle way. yes they know how to look up pictures on the internet. 
> 
> the next chapter will take a _while_ to come out, mainly as ive now hit the unfortunate part of the kamoshida arc where you have to continue going through this pervert's palace lmao. im not even sure how to do the volleyball rally in this verse :'D if anyone has any ideas plz let me know! thank you!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **TW: SEXUAL ASSAULT REFERENCE, RAPE REFERENCE, HOMOPHOBIA, UNDERAGE SMOKING**

“I’m sorry, you want to talk to _who_?”

Yusuke had a plan. Goro was convinced that this plan was quite possibly the _dumbest_ idea that had been come up with so far. The volleyball rally was that afternoon, so Goro would be too busy to look for intel - and his attempt to look for intel was a failure, due to the fact that none of the volleyball team members wanted to appear unhappy in front of their ace - so instead, Yusuke would try to figure out something.

Why was Niijima in the palace? And why was she dressed like that?

Goro immediately considered this almost suicide -- it’s Niijima, after all, her glare could break people in two -- but Yusuke seemed confidant that this would work. 

“Yes, Makoto Niijima.” Yusuke nodded, “You said that ‘something’ happened to Niijima to make her this way. I think we know full well what that ‘something’ is.” They made shifty eyes as if to prove their point. “You couldn’t get information from the volleyball team--”

“Yeah, that was a bust.”

“--But there’s a _reason_ Niijima’s in the palace.” Yusuke frowned. “And I think I can find it out.”

“How’re you gonna talk to her?”

Yusuke shrugged. “I can figure it out as I go.”

“Of course.” Goro rolled his eyes. 

Like that was easy. Yusuke seemed to coast by on luck and improvisation alone. It was the only reason that Goro assumed they were so good at understanding the Metaverse - it made sense to them and that was what mattered. Goro only figured it out because there was some form of logic to it, some form of logic even though that logic was being dispersed by a talking rabbit. 

Person’s cognition = how they saw the world. Kamoshida saw the world as a castle, specifically seeing Shujin as one. It caused Goro’s stomach to turn with how little he knew about Kamoshida’s behaviour, and how much that made him _win._ He wondered if there was a cognition of him in Kamoshida’s palace that was a puppet on a string, asking ‘how high’ when the coach said ‘jump’. It made him shudder to think.

But now, things were better -- he had a Persona now, and Dorian Gray was surprisingly helpful. Although he wondered why his spirit of rebellion took the form of a despicable hedonist who hid all his negative aspects from society as a painting that aged with each act he performed… That was strange. 

He’d also managed to collect a few replacement model guns now that he knew how the guns in the Metaverse worked - a revolver for Yusuke, a musket for Sumire, and a shotgun for him. He was just going to get a simple pistol, but something -- or the voice that took up residence in his head after he awakened -- pulled him towards the shotgun. 

He’d bought the brown paper bag along with him to school, thanking whatever deity was looking onto him that his bag didn’t get checked for some reason. Maybe because it was the volleyball rally today and Kamoshida had advised not to give them ‘more stress’ or whatever. That piece of shit. He only cared about their wellbeing when it made him look better. 

Yusuke looked down at the gym uniform with a frown, adjusting the centre of it. Goro noticed this and leant over to help, gently as he could with movements. 

“It hurts.” Yusuke frowned.

“What hurts?”

“The binder.”

“Oh…” Goro paused for a moment, before looking down at Yusuke’s gym shirt to see the outline of a binder pressed against it. He blushed for a second, pulling away as Yusuke raised a brow. “Sorry…”

Yusuke looked confused. “Did you think I would be offended by you looking at the binder? I told you about its existence.” 

Goro began to splutter. “I… I…” He then sighed. “Dammit. I gotta go… Rally shit.”

Yusuke nodded. “Good luck, Senpai.” They smiled. 

xxx

With every hit of the volleyball into some poor student’s face, Haru Okumura stood watch, unblinking, unphased. Turning her head to a corner, she saw as Makoto Niijima started talking to the transfer student - the supposed criminal. Haru swallowed, guilt welling in her stomach as she remembered how little attention she paid to the transfer even after their record was leaked.

Everyone knew who leaked the record. It wasn’t hard. Kamoshida had an iron grip over Shujin, mainly because the principal willingly turned a blind eye to his abuses. And Haru was aware that he never listened to her when she _pleaded_ for his firing. 

“What can you do?” Kobayakawa had stated, “You are nothing but my eyes and ears, Okumura-chan. Your voice doesn’t matter when it comes to matters of staff. Maybe you should know your place.”

But Haru didn’t care about her place. She was the Student Council President, meant to protect students from harm. That was her role, her position, not to sit back and play dolls in the background as an abusive scumbag of a man lorded over the school like it was his playground. 

If not for the other students, then at least for Mako-chan. She was going through serious hell at the moment, and hearing her push the transfer away, shove them into a wall, and storm off, lead Haru down to the area that they were in, seeing the transfer wipe underneath their eye. They looked up at Haru, as Haru flinched, expecting a glare. 

What they got instead was a weak smile.

“Um… Excuse me,” They whispered, before moving out of the way, leading Haru to shake her head. They sounded awfully polite, for a supposed criminal. 

“There’s no need.” She smiled, producing a hand for them to shake. “I’m Haru Okumura, student council president. It’s nice to finally meet you in person… Um…”

“Yusuke Kitagawa.” 

“Oh, right!” She then frowned, lowering her voice. “I’m sorry about what happened with your record.”  
  


“It isn’t a problem, Okumura-senpai.”

And they left the area near the bleachers to trail Makoto, Haru noticing that Kamoshida had locked eyes onto the student and was about ready to throw a volleyball at them. Kitagawa, the second the ball came running towards them, caught it with the flick of the wrist, before aiming it back onto the field, letting it bounce once or twice. 

They then walked off, leaving Haru rather surprised. Even if they weren’t a criminal, they did seem rather strange. They may need to keep tabs on them, especially as far as Makoto was concerned. 

xxx

When Yusuke found the infamous Dragon of Shujin, she was crying in the bathroom over her phone. A rather hilariously depressing image for the girl who they’d heard was so threatening and terrifying, but even then, it was more upsetting than anything else. Yusuke frowned, leaning against the bathroom wall as they listened to Niijima whimper over the phone.

“No, please, I already told you--” She swallowed, “--I-I’m busy this afternoon, I don’t need… No, no I-I can come straight away…” She looked down, as she hung up. Yusuke quickly saw her sigh, run her hands through her hair and turn to face them.

“What the hell are you staring at? Huh? You _followed_ me? Did you wanna know what Kamoshida’s _bitch_ was doing, huh?”

Yusuke took a step back as they realized that Niijima grabbed their wrist. She held very tight, her nails digging into their skin. They winced.

“C-Can we meet somewhere more private? The roof, perhaps?”

Eventually, Yusuke and Niijima made it to the roof, Niijima smoking from a cigarette as she looked over at Yusuke. She sighed.

“You already know, don’t you? What’s going on between me and Kamoshida?”

Yusuke shook their head. Makoto sniggered, her voice low. 

“Yeah, of course you don’t,” She looked them up and down, “You’re the transfer. Everyone knows what happened to you. You already know why. Kamoshida. The guy has information on everyone and anyone at this school. The only reason his ‘precious Volleyball Prince’ stays under his thumb is because he has blackmail material on him--” She looked around awkwardly, before whispering. “He’s gay, if you didn’t know.” 

Yusuke nodded, as Makoto raised a brow. 

“You seem awfully chill about this whole thing,” She frowned, “What’s your deal?”

“Just curious. So…” Yusuke looked down at their toes, “What were you talking about with Kamoshida?”

A pause. A puff from a cigarette. Smoke filled the air as Makoto breathed inwards. She then sighed. 

“We’ve been having sex.” She stated, “It’s pretty much an open secret. Everyone knows it. And there’s a reason we’ve been having sex…” She sighed, looking down at her cigarette and biting back tears. She then proceeded to whisper her secret;

“I’m gay.”

Yusuke, probably taken aback by the whole thing, the fact that this small secret was the reason that Makoto was so hostile towards everyone, snorted. 

“That’s it?” They asked, as Makoto glared, elbowing them in the arm. “I thought it would be something like… You know…” They paused, “A criminal record.” 

“You are _candy_ to him Kitagawa. A transfer to the school who no one knows, with a criminal record to your name.” Makoto sighed. “Kamoshida keeps saying he can ‘fix’ me, but I’ve refused for so long… It’s only now that he’s threatening to get this out…” She looked down, the tears threatening to reappear. 

“Look… I’m terrified. My last year of school and I don’t wanna be remembered as the girl who was too cowardly to come out that she let a gym teacher _rape_ her instead!” She held her stomach tightly, letting the last embers of the cigarette drop to the floor. “And it’s not like Kamoshida is a homophobe, he doesn’t _care_ just so long as he has people to screw around with -- he’s been screwing Mishima on the side. Saying it’s ‘private lessons’.” 

Yusuke blinked. They remembered the name Mishima. That was Goro’s friend. They wondered if Goro knew about it, as Makoto saw them awkwardly shuffle closer to wrap an arm around her shoulder. Makoto rubbed her eyes with a free hand, dropping her cigarette to the floor as it snuffed itself out in response to the physical touch. She froze, as Yusuke suddenly moved their arm.

“I’m sorry--”

“No, please.” Makoto looked up at them, her eyes trembling, “Do it again.”

And so they did, comforting Makoto on the rooftop of the school. 

xxx

After the rally was over, Yusuke came down to the gates of the school at the request of a certain Goro Akechi. And he was holding a rabbit under his arm, who appeared rather uncomfortable in the position.

“Does this remind you of anyone, Yusuke?”

Yusuke shook his head, before the rabbit started to squirm, as a familiar voice came out of its maw.

“Hey! Let me go! This is very claustrophobic!”

That’s when Yusuke realized who it was, and immediately gasped in awe. The rabbit that was held under Goro’s arm like a sports ball, was Sumire, the creature from the palace. She still looked very similar to how she looked inside the palace, red eyes and ginger fur, but she was unclothed, sans a brown leather collar around her neck. 

Their eyes widened as they grabbed the rabbit in both hands, smiling dumbly. The rabbit whimpered.

“Yusuke-senpai!” She whined, as Yusuke frowned.

“We can’t exactly let you on the ground right now…” They whispered, “We need a harness for that…” 

“And I don’t think she can stay with me.” Goro frowned, “I live in an apartment complex. Hey! Do you think your legal guardian will be cool with her staying with you?”

Yusuke raised a brow. “I don’t know.” They bit their bottom lip. “Where else is she going to go?”

“Please, Yusuke-senpai!” 

And there were the baby doll eyes. Yusuke winced, as if hit by an attack in the metaverse. Guess this rabbit was staying with them for the time being. 

“But there was another reason I came to you… Uh… Maybe we could talk somewhere quieter?” 

Yusuke and Goro nodded, before they left the school to go to Goethe. When they arrived there, Ohya was… Surprisingly cool with Yusuke getting a rabbit, claiming that maybe they could go to Kawakami’s and pass it off as a therapy pet, also that Yusuke was in charge of taking care of it so make sure it doesn’t shit everywhere. 

They’d also introduced Ohya to Goro, to which Ohya giggled about Yusuke having found a ‘boyfriend’ during their first few days in Tokyo. That’s when Yusuke decided to bring Goro up the stairs so that they and Sumire could talk about what she wanted to talk to them about. 

And that was when she explained _how_ they were going to stop Kamoshida - with something known as a change of heart. Simply put; Kamoshida’s distorted desires were made manifest in something known as a ‘treasure’ -- and that treasure could be stolen from him to cause him to change, as well as confessing his sins in the real world. But if they did it wrong…

“He would become a vegetable?”

“Yeah… Unfortunately.” 

Goro gritted his teeth. “Ugh… This is shitty to say but while he is most definitely a horrible person, he doesn’t deserve any of that.” 

Yusuke frowned, remembering what they heard from Niijima on the rooftop earlier that day. However, they wondered if maybe they should wait. They still didn’t know anything about the palace, or anything about what could change Kamoshida. Yusuke swallowed, looking down at their feet. 

Should they risk the chance that Kamoshida would not be able to do any of his misdeeds without the confession? They would need some time to think about this. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MAKOTOOOOOO and HARUUUUUU!!!! i love them both so much uwu!!!! 
> 
> also some akekita teasing? from moi? of course lmao. 
> 
> yeah makoto's reason for hating kamoshida is very... triggering lmao. unlike ann she doesnt have anyone to save, so i decided to make him worse! yay!/s but seriously tho, kamoshida is a piece of shit
> 
> ooh also a side note; in the real world i imagine sumire appearing like an [American Fuzzy Lop](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Conejillo_de_indias.jpg)! they are super cute and its definetly how i imagine sumire looking! :D 
> 
> yusuke's gonna get her a harness at some point so they can walk around


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **TW: Sexual Assault + Harassment Reference, Homophobic Language, Attempted Suicide, Purposeful Deadnaming of a Transgender Character**

The morning after the Volleyball Rally was all a blur. Goro walked into first period English, sat down in his usual spot, looked over at Niijima who glared at him - so much for Yusuke’s attempt at damage control - and was daydreaming when all of a sudden, someone stood up.

“Hey! Someone’s on the roof!”

The teacher ordered the student to sit down, but more quickly began to gawk at the spectacle on display. Goro was rocked out of his daydreaming, quickly hearing heavy breathing from the roof. His eyes widened as he looked at the figure -- _Yuuki_ , arms outstretched like a crucifixion as he leant over the edge.

And against his better judgement, he ran, ran down the corridors, ran down to the courtyard, as fast as he could. He didn’t realize he was being followed by someone, his footsteps growing harder on the ground as his breath grew _louder_ , turning a corner, darting down the stairs, then turning another corner and another and another and another and another--

By the time he made it to the courtyard, he was interrupted by ambulance sirens, and a hand on his shoulder. He turned to face Yusuke, pulling their hand off his shoulder as they ran towards the commotion, seeing Yuuki, lying on the ground half conscious, placed on a stretcher. 

Goro ran towards him, breath hitched as he crouched down to face Yuuki, eyes narrowed as he muttered something.

“Goro-kun…” He whispered, “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”

“Who did this to you?” Goro snarled, his voice sounding like nails on a chalkboard. 

Yuuki frowned, not responding, and that was when it became clear to Goro. That bastard wouldn’t know what hit him when Goro came after him. Not at all. Against his better judgement, he came running back to Kamoshida’s office, Yusuke standing outside the door, trying to stay out of trouble once more. 

Kamoshida made threats that seemed all the more real as he spoke, expulsion, physical violence, and the final threat was like a punch to the gut;

“If I can leak your darling Kotone-chan’s record, then I can certainly reveal more secrets…”

Goro was too overwhelmed to ask who the fuck this Kotone was, but hearing Yusuke swallow, and the memory of their comment about the binder, caused his face to heat up. That bastard - forcing a student to suicide, repeatedly _raping_ Nijima for the sake of his own ego, giving a student’s criminal record to the gnashing jaws of a high school crowd and now, Goro felt himself crack.

_Don’t let him destroy you, milord._

Dorian Gray’s voice caused him to breath in. He left the room with a quiet “understood, sorry sir” but as he came outside, he saw Yusuke grabbing onto their chest, breath hitched once more. Their teeth were grit, as Goro bent down to grab them tightly, as they frowned, letting him hold them once more. 

There was going to be a board meeting in 15 days, and Kamoshida was planning on leaking everything about Niijima, about them having sex and about her sexuality. It wasn’t expulsion, it wasn’t physical violence, but it was stressful -- Niijima’s life could be destroyed in the click of a keyboard, the push of a mouse. Goro furrowed his brows.

For Yuuki, for Niijima, for Yusuke. He would fucking _end_ Kamoshida once and for all. 

xxx

“What was so wrong with Crow?”

“Can I be brutally honest with you, Senpai?”

“Uh, yeah, sure.”

“Your mask looks more like a woodpecker than a crow.”

“Fuck you, I thought that was a good name!” 

“You were the one who suggested Aburage, though.” 

“And you nearly went with it!” 

Makoto Niijima leans against the wall, hearing the all too familiar bickering of Goro Akechi against Yusuke Kitagawa’s softer, more deadpan tones. The soft, feminine voice is a strange one to be sure, butting in to try to calm the aggressive Akechi down and prevent the passive aggressive Kitagawa from becoming more aggressive, but Makoto doesn’t have time to worry about that.

She’s crouched, on the floor, having run from the guards who referred to her as ‘princess’ repeatedly. Back against the wall, she knocks, alerting the two from their discussion on codenames. That’s when she hears a small padding of footsteps as something reaches up for the brick with a wince. That’s when she realizes the brick collapsed to the floor with a thud, leaving her face to face with…

“Is that some sort of mascot-thingy?” She stated, her voice harsh, trying to hide her joy about the adorable rabbit looking thing that was blinking at her with wide red eyes. It smiled.

“Oh! You must be Niijima-senpai!” She curtseyed, “It’s nice to meet you, ma’am.” 

Immediately, Makoto’s face flushed. “Uh… Hello, there?” She squeaked out, ducking for cover to try to hide the sudden breaking of her ‘cool’ exterior. The bad news was a certain someone saw her, and she could _hear_ Akechi’s smirk beneath the stupid woodpecker mask he was wearing. 

“Ah, so this is the infamous Dragon of Shujin - getting flustered over a little bunny rabbit.” 

Makoto held her hands to her face. “Shut it!” She squealed, trying to keep her flustered expression down. Akechi chuckled in the background as Kitagawa sighed, staring through the wall. 

“There’s a door over there if you want to join us, Niijima-senpai.” 

“I… I can’t.” Makoto whispered, “I’m kind of chained to the wall.”

Akechi winced. “Oh, is that because there’s a cognitive you in this palace?”

“Okay, Akechi, what the hell are you saying--”

“Aha! I got it.” Kitagawa turned to face the brunette behind them, “Ace. Your codename is Ace.” 

“Okay, sorry, I’m lost--” Makoto spoke up, “--What do you mean by codename?”

Kitagawa swallowed, turning to face Akechi. “We should explain to her what’s going on.”

And that’s when the story began -- the MetaNav, Personas, Will of Rebellion, Shadow Kamoshida, the cognitive duplicates of the students -- and Yusuke was amazed that Makoto got it so fast. 

They sighed, smiling. “Alright, so, are you okay with--”

“Shit, I can’t talk, he’s coming this way!”

“What the--”

Almost immediately, Akechi threw down the door, and that’s when Makoto got to see the group in clear light -- they were wearing incredibly strange looking clothes, to match the even strange looking masks. He held up the gun he was holding - a shotgun - aiming it straight at Kamoshida.

“The fuck are you planning on trying, asshole?!” 

Kamoshida folded his arms, **_“I’m not planning on anything, you worm.”_ ** He gestured to the bikini wearing cognitive Makoto, **_“I already have my princess. This Imposter is going to be tortured.”_ **

“Wait, what?!” Makoto’s eyes widened, as she lunged forward, but her cognitive double giggled.

**_“Look at her, Master…”_ ** The cognitive double’s voice sounded very airy, breezy, almost vapid, **_“She can’t move! Are you sure you don’t want a gangbang?”_ **

Makoto nearly threw up attempting to pull herself to her feet as her cognitive double giggled at her misfortune. She walked over, her dog tail wagging in the back as she caressed the real Makoto’s cheek. Makoto flinched, pulling away from her double, who forcibly kissed her. Makoto let out muffled cries of indignation, pulling away from her cognitive double, who smirked, revealing her true villainous nature.

**_“I thought you were into that sort of thing, dyke?”_ **

Makoto gasped, coming up for air following the kiss that nearly drowned her. She muttered something like ‘not like this’, as her cognitive double giggled, twirling a strand of hair like the vapid image of Kamoshida’s perfection that she was. 

Makoto slammed her hand against the floor, gritting her teeth as she looked up for a sign, for a _savior_ , for someone to rescue her. Had she _really_ become a damsel, desiring for the fresh touch of someone to rescue her? Of course, that’s what this man made her become. Useless. Fuckin’ useless. 

Distracted by the feeling of the kiss, Makoto looked up to see Akechi, Kitagawa, and the rabbit-like creature that had greeted her, being swamped by the monsters she saw earlier. She couldn’t help them. She was trapped, weak, _useless_ . Why was she so _goddamn_ useless? 

_You don’t have to be anymore, my darling._

Suddenly, pain passed through her temple, as Makoto pulled herself closer to the wall. The laughter of her cognitive double became the laughter of her peers if her secret was revealed, that the great Dragon of Shujin reduced to nothing but a snivelling slave forced to have sex with a teacher in order to protect her behind. _Useless_. 

_I understand how it feels. To feel broken, ruined, destroyed. Because I am you. Now, are you ready to ride the waves of rebellion?_

She let out a strangled scream, tearing the chain of the wall and raising to her feet. Her cognitive double stopped laughing and took a terrified step back, as the creatures attacking the remainder of the group paused. She was breathing heavily, eyes wide as they shone a bright gold. 

_I said… Are you ready?_

“Yes… Now come to me!” 

_Very well. This is where our contract begins._

The pain now made itself known, a tight crack breaking through her skull as she felt almost woozy. Her stomach twisted and her hands tightened, as the ground beneath her feet cracked under the pressure of newfound weight, almost like she was wearing armor. The voice in her head continued.

_This man has disgraced your name, made you a martyr to your own history, exploited your identity for his own gain. But he is not going to break you any further. Your justice has been discovered, now don’t lose sight of it again._

**_I AM THOU. THOU ART I._ **

_There’s no turning back now! Your false self died a long time ago, now to send her off into the briny depths of hell!_

With a two handed pull, the metallic, knights helmet like mask was pulled off with a loud scream, as the floor cratered beneath her. Her cognitive self appeared confused initially, before suddenly she was _driven_ through by a motorcycle. Suddenly, stopping fighting for a hot second, Akechi and Kitagawa looked up. 

“A Persona?” Kitagawa whispered, their voice hoarse.

“No… That’s a bike!” 

The astute observation that left Akechi’s lips was indeed correct. Makoto was seated on a bike that looked more like a decorated pirate ship, a woman’s body plastered front and centre as the headpiece, black tires decorated with bronze lining and bronze handlebars marked with gold and jewels. The design was surprisingly ornate for a bike, especially as the woman’s body appeared to be _moving_.

Sitting on the bike was Makoto Niijima, dressed in a black leather jumpsuit, tight fitting on her figure, showing off her muscles that her uniform did not. Over her breasts were protective chrome armor, matching in style to her mask. The chrome armor spread down to her knees and shins, revealing matching chrome greaves. Black boots adorned her feet, and her gloves were a deep blue, as her hands tightened the handlebars. 

“I can feel it…” She whispered, “Myself… _Me!_ ” Before she stared at the creatures who were distracted from their fight with Kitagawa, the rabbit creature and Akechi;

“Gun it!”

xxx

Kamoshida had run away before the quartet could catch up to him, even after defeating the Shadows he had used to attack them, but they wouldn’t stay around for much longer -- mainly due to Makoto being exhausted. She sat against the wall in the Shibuya Underground, rubbing her eyes in exhaustion.

“So…”

Goro took a sip of his soda as Sumire popped her head out of Yusuke’s bag. Yusuke, for their part, was looking at Makoto, almost proud. Makoto smiled, somewhat weakly. 

“So, that was my Persona?”

Sumire nodded. “Yes, and Makoto-senpai, you did so well!” She tittered from the bag, causing Makoto to raise a brow.

“Can anyone else hear this or have I finally cracked?”

“Considering you just awoke to a motorcycle pirate in a-” Yusuke elbowed Goro in the stomach before he could finish their sentence. Goro huffed as Yusuke sighed, before nodding. 

“What was her name?”

“Ching Shih, I believe.” Makoto stated, “I wasn’t really paying attention to those sort of semantics or whatever. I was more focusing on how much I could destroy him, like how he destroyed me.” She sighed. “I think I’ve heard that name before.”

“Ching Shih was an infamous Chinese pirate.” Goro began to explain, “She got her start as a prostitute, before she instead became a pirate. Surprisingly fitting for what transpired between yourself and Kamoshida.”

“Are you saying I’m a _hooker_?”

“Well, I’m saying that Kamoshida saw you as a ‘hooker’, as you so eloquently put it.”

“What’s a hooker?” 

Yusuke shushed the rabbit in their bag with a grin on their face, apparently amused by the argument between Goro and Makoto. They laughed, their voice sounding dry, as Goro looked over at them with a raised brow. 

“And how’re you holding up? I assumed you heard myself and Kamoshida’s discussion after Yuuki…” He swallowed. Yusuke nodded.

“Your friend threw himself off a building, my… issues are nothing compared to that.” 

“Wait, so where was Sumire?”

“She’s been in my bag all day. I’ve been buying her bread from the school store for sustenance.”

“I told you to eat that, Yusuke-senpai!” 

Yusuke snorted. “Yes, and?”

“Being a Phantom Thief means you have to keep yourself healthy!” Sumire pouted, “I don’t want any of you getting sick while we’re in the Metaverse, okay?” 

The three teenagers nodded, as Sumire sighed. Yep, this is how things are, they’re all being mothered by a rabbit. Yusuke smiled and gave Sumire a little scritch behind the neck, to which she tittered softly. Makoto chuckled.

“This is the strangest little group I’ve ever been with,” She stated, “So, we need to change Kamoshida’s heart in a fortnight. How do we do that?”

“With a calling card, of course!” Sumire explained, “Once we find an infiltration route, we can create a calling card to cause his treasure to appear! That’s how we can steal it.” However, her ears drooped, “But… If we do that, it means the security level increases dramatically.”

Goro snorted. “Makes sense, we just threatened their desires.” 

Sumire nodded, as Makoto snapped her fingers. “Alright, how ‘bout we get our leader to write the calling card?” She looked over at Yusuke, who flinched.

“Okay? When was I appointed as leader?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...well! this is a lot! 
> 
> introducing our official chariot!makoto intro! makoto's persona is ching shih, as described here as an infamous chinese pirate who initially began her career as a prostitute. after her husband cheng i's death, she took over his role as the leader of an entire collection of chinese junkers! badass lady, and has a _much_ better fate than captain kidd did :')
> 
> also... poor mishima. sadly i dont think we'll be introducing our moon until much later in this arc, bc the kamoshida arc takes a _while_ and im terrible at writing fight scenes. 
> 
> ALSO I FUCKIN FORGOT I NAMED FEMC KOTONE BEFORE I CAME UP WITH YUSUKE'S DEADNAME SHIT :'( good news is that its not really that important, it only comes up in this arc due to kamoshitty being _very_ kamoshitty :'D 
> 
> apparently im terrible when it comes to those details, bc i named ching shih _chang_ shih in my original draft and had to quickly change it lmao oops!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **TW: SEXUAL ASSAULT REFERENCE, REFERENCES TO BESTIALITY, REFERENCES TO AMPUTATION**

That night, when Yusuke fell asleep, they awoke once more in the Velvet Room. They looked over at Igor, a proud smile on the old man’s face.

“Congratulations. Your collection is coming along nicely.”

“My… Collection?”

“He means your teammates,” Sae clarified, “You now have more powerful Persona users on your side.” She revealed a pouch and unfurled it, revealing a collection of cards, as she placed three out on the table; The Magician, The Lovers, The Chariot. 

Yusuke recognised the card in the centre, it was the card that Goro was referred to as. The other two were unfamiliar to them, but they figured they were linked to their current team; Sumire, Goro & Makoto. They frowned. 

“These are the paths you will walk,” Igor continued, “And there are more to come. More skills to learn and more paths to take. Your power is determined by your bonds, your confidants as we will call them. Like so.”

And the warm feeling in Yusuke’s chest continued once more, but it felt harsher. More like a burning sensation instead of the soft feeling that they soft feeling that came when they formed that bond with Goro. They took a deep breath in. 

_I AM THOU. THOU ART I_

_THOU HAST ACQUIRED A NEW VOW. IT SHALL BECOME THE WINGS OF REBELLION THAT BREAKETH THY CHAINS OF CAPTIVITY_

_WITH THE BIRTH OF_ **_THE HUNGER_ ** _PERSONA, I HAVE OBTAINED THE WINDS OF BLESSING THAT SHALL LEAD TO FREEDOM AND NEW POWER_

As they exhaled, Igor smirked. Yusuke stared over the bar at the man. They raised a brow. 

“So… All I need to do to gain more power is… Have bonds?”

“Yes, indeed! This shall grant you access to new abilities. I have granted you a special power through your bond with me-” Igor gestured to the cabinet that was sitting behind them, “-The ability to gain more Personas. You’ll figure it out soon enough dear Trickster.” 

And that’s when Yusuke started to feel themself pass out, before awakening once more in Goethe. They looked over to see the sleeping Sumire with a smile on their face. She was a surprisingly cute little creature, considering she summoned a creature made entirely of glass and energy to shock shadow demons repeatedly. 

They wondered if she knew about the rehabilitation, about the Velvet Room, about Igor. They sighed, and chose to instead get ready for school that morning, gently tapping Sumire on the nose to alert her to their presence. She grumbled a bit, flicking her ears as her cottontail wiggled slightly. 

“Morning, Sumire.” Yusuke greeted, as Sumire let out a little yawn.

“Oh, it’s morning already?” She sighed, “I was just getting comfy… So, are you going to school today?”

Yusuke nodded, as Sumire wiggled her nose a bit. “Alright… Are you alright with me being in your bag for the time being?”

“Yes, of course! Just… Don’t be too loud, okay?”

Sumire giggled. “I promise, Yusuke-senpai.”

_I AM THOU. THOU ART I_

_THOU HAST ACQUIRED A NEW VOW. IT SHALL BECOME THE WINGS OF REBELLION THAT BREAKETH THY CHAINS OF CAPTIVITY_

_WITH THE BIRTH OF_ **_THE MAGICIAN_ ** _PERSONA, I HAVE OBTAINED THE WINDS OF BLESSING THAT SHALL LEAD TO FREEDOM AND NEW POWER_

Well, there were two teammates roles down. Now, for the third.

xxx

Yusuke didn’t know what to expect when Makoto dragged them off for a ‘study session’ at lunchtime. Several kids whispered things about how they were planning on burning the school down or whatever it was delinquents do - and honestly, Yusuke never thought of themselves as threatening until their record was leaked, so they wondered why everyone was just taking it on board - but Makoto responded with rolled eyes as she sat them down in a little section, off away from the crowds, behind the bookshelves. She sat down and sighed, spreading her books down on the floor. 

Yusuke raised a brow. “Okay, so you’re showing me third year work… Why?”

Makoto looked up with a snort. “It’s quite obvious the reason why, isn’t it?” Yusuke shook their head, as Makoto frowned. “See… You probably already know from what Akechi told you who I was before… _That_ happened.”

Yusuke nodded. According to Goro, Makoto was an honor student, potential shoe-in for student council president. Then one day, she changed - becoming the person she was today. 

From what Yusuke gathered, it was due to Kamoshida’s manipulation of her that lead her to become the delinquent Dragon of Shujin that Yusuke saw before them. And she sighed as she looked down at the books. 

“This could just look like both of us doing damage control, but…” She sighed, “Can you help me get back into a rhythm? I haven’t been _behind_ in class - just Bs and Cs - but just in case what we’re planning works with Kamoshida, this’ll help keep my parents off my tail for now.”

“Your parents? Are they--”

“They aren’t aware of anything -- my sexuality, my exploits with Kamoshida…” She swallowed, “And they’re worried. I don’t want to worry them any further. So… Can you help?”

Yusuke nodded, extending a hand as they looked over the algebra work. It was incredibly advanced, and they were never the _best_ at math, but they could manage. After all, this was one of their teammates needing help to get back on track. And Yusuke would be willing. 

Makoto shook their hand, and the warm feeling from before bubbled up once more;

_I AM THOU. THOU ART I_

_THOU HAST ACQUIRED A NEW VOW. IT SHALL BECOME THE WINGS OF REBELLION THAT BREAKETH THY CHAINS OF CAPTIVITY_

_WITH THE BIRTH OF_ **_THE CHARIOT_ ** _PERSONA, I HAVE OBTAINED THE WINDS OF BLESSING THAT SHALL LEAD TO FREEDOM AND NEW POWER_

Yusuke smiled, as Makoto smiled back.

“And… This can also help with strategy,” She stated, “Considering you and Akechi tend to rush into things without thinking.”

“I believe that’s part of our charm.”

“Of course you would.” 

xxx

[ROGER] - hey bruh quick q

[YUSUKE] - is it urgent?

[ROGER] - well no but i wanted to ask som1 about this

[ROGER] - if ur leg got cut off

[ROGER] - would it hurt

Yusuke blinked for a second in response to the question.

[YUSUKE] - one, morbid question to ask

[YUSUKE] - two, obviously

[ROGER] - yeah but how tho

[YUSUKE] - because your leg got cut off? roger i dont understand the question

[ROGER] - okay riddle me this;

[ROGER] - where would u feel the pain

[YUSUKE] - that’s also obvious

[YUSUKE] - in your

Wait. Wait. No, you wouldn’t feel it in your leg because your leg got amputated. How were you supposed to feel the pain when your leg is gone? 

[YUSUKE] - oh 

[ROGER] - exactly man! 

Yusuke did a double take - well, it made a surprising amount of sense, in the most ridiculous way possible. Roger seemed to be fond of this strange question, almost like it was a riddle. They blinked as they typed down their next question.

[YUSUKE] - so, where would you feel the pain?

[ROGER] - thats the point bro

[ROGER] - once ur leg’s gone, the pain’s gone with it

[YUSUKE] - how long have you been thinking about this?

[ROGER] - all effin day man

Yusuke shook their head in response to the message.

[YUSUKE] - dont you have school or something?

There was silence for a second, as the little chat bubble sprung to life once more. A response from Roger came through, not as quickly as their previous responses when they were chatting about the probability of leg pain being non-existent for an amputee. 

[ROGER] - ysee i dont go

[ROGER] - dont need to 

[ROGER] - dropped out ‘bout a year ago

[ROGER] - it aint important 

Yusuke didn’t pry, instead letting Roger ramble about an anime they’d been watching -- apparently it was a mecha show from the 90s that they adored, they rambled about the characters and the fight scenes and how stimulating it was. They mentioned offhand they got bored with it on occasion, but would always come running back. Yusuke smiled as they read Roger’s texts, they seemed happy to have someone to talk to. And that felt great.

Considering they seemed about Yusuke’s age, they wondered why Roger didn’t go to school, but they still didn’t wish to pry. After all, it seemed like it would hurt them too much. They sighed, stretching and placing their phone down, looking over at the tired bun that was sitting on the cleared off table. They smiled, scritching behind Sumire’s ears.

“If you want…” They whispered, “You could sleep on my bed?”

“No… Comfy… Thank you…” Sumire snorted, using her ears as a somewhat makeshift eye mask. She made a slight humming noise as her little nose wiggled and she finally dozed off, as Yusuke smiled at the creature. 

For a brief moment, they wondered what Sumire was. Nothing seemed to make sense about her appearance or her existence. Plus while she had a great deal of knowledge about the Metaverse, human customs were alien to her. She didn’t appear to be a Shadow, however, as she was found in Kamoshida’s pervert wonderland and as creepy as he appeared, he didn’t seem to be into bestaility.

  
At least, Yusuke _hoped_ he wasn’t. They sighed, rolling their shoulders forward as they began to play soft music from their iPhone, laying down to finally go to sleep. Eventually, a certain bunny rabbit joined them, snuggling on their legs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so uh... i kind of struggle at the inbetween palace stuff. we havent seen ohya in a _while_ and ive kind of been blanking on what to do for each confidant. BUT as today is yusuke's birthday, i figured id publish something for runaway related to slice of life confidant shenanigans! if people could help me with how to introduce certain confidants (there's two at the school) that would be amazing thank you!
> 
> also, yusuke and roger's conversation comes from [this](https://youtu.be/hIsN3DZsAxI) video i found! how i found this video is actually linked to yusuke and the person roger is, which i think judging by the name and the way they type, would be obvious by now :') 
> 
> thanks again for checking it out and sorry for this short chapter! im not very good at slice of life lmao


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **TW: ATTEMPTED KIDNAPPING**

It was a Sunday, with 13 days until the Board Meeting. School was off for the day, and because they couldn’t go to the palace, Yusuke decided to join Goro on Central Street at Shibuya to meet up with the gun store owner. 

Untouchable was a small place, squeezed in between a fast food restaurant and a thrift store. It seemed rather small & intimidating on the outside, so when Goro got Yusuke to open the door, the ringing of a bell alerted them to the lady at the front desk. 

If it weren’t for the fact that she was surrounded by weaponry, Yusuke would’ve assumed that they’d walked into the wrong store. The lady was rather young, possibly late 20s, with blonde hair that cascaded down her back and violet eyes. She wore a simple black tank top under a khaki jacket, and had a wide smile on her face.

“Ah! Good afternoon, Akechi-san!” She greeted, as Yusuke noticed that she had a slight country accent. She gave Yusuke a once over, her smile not faltering. “And uh, you are-”

“Yusuke Kitagawa, it’s nice to meet you ma’am.”

The lady giggled. “Oh stop, I don’t think I deserved to be called ma’am.” She nodded, “Please, call me Chihaya. Welcome to Untouchables, the best model weapons store in Shibuya!” 

She paused for a moment, looking somewhat downtrodden, “Actually the _only_ weapons shop in Shibuya… Back again from your spree a couple days ago, Akechi-san?” 

Goro nodded. “Yeah, just wanted to show my friend here your wares.”

“Ah, I see! Is he-”

“They.” 

Yusuke immediately slammed their hand over their mouth. Shouldn’t have said that. Should not have said that. Chihaya seemed somewhat understanding, with a nod. 

“Are they a weapons buff like yourself?”

Goro smiled, flashing her his pearly whites. “Yes, pretty much!” He then grabbed Yusuke by the arm, “C’mon, let’s have a looksee.” 

Yusuke nodded, waving at Chihaya, as Goro pulled him into a corner, dropping the ‘pretty boy act’ as Yusuke had internally called it for a few seconds. “Look, she may look cheerful and sweet, but Chihaya is _ruthless_. There’s a rumor that she’s ex-yakuza.”

Yusuke had to resist scoffing. “Really? Her?” 

Goro nodded. “Yes, indeed. I’m not joking.” Goro sighed. “She’s not a murderous harpy or whatever you’re thinking, but she _is_ dangerous.” He looked around. “How are you at haggling?”

Yusuke smirked, cracking their knuckles. Now they were seeing the benefits of working three jobs and teaching themself how to be thrifty to just _get_ some food for them and their mother. Goro paused, remembering Yusuke’s backstory and immediately swallowed. 

“This is gonna be a fucking nightmare.” He muttered. 

xxx

After fifteen goddamn minutes that ended with Yusuke caving and getting the weapons for 15% off instead of 30% like they tried to argue, the pair left the store. They’d gotten an extra handgun for the bag to give to Makoto next time they went into the metaverse, mainly as generic weapons appeared to transform when linked to the person that was holding them - as shown by how the handgun that Goro brought in for self defence transformed into the revolver that Yusuke had been using. 

By the time they got to station square, they saw a woman dragging a teenage boy by the wrist. The boy was struggling, pulling away from the woman as she tried to pull him back towards her. Immediately, Goro and Yusuke saw something was wrong. Yusuke looked over at Goro, as Goro frowned.

“We should do something.” 

Yusuke nodded, before rushing forward and patting the boy on the shoulder. 

“Hey, I’ve been looking for you everywhere.” They smiled, softening their voice a little bit so as to not scare the teen. The teenager frowned, as Yusuke smiled at them. “Uh… Can you excuse us, we were just going somewhere-”

The woman rolled her eyes. “What, and take me away from my son?”

“Look, lady, you look nothing like this guy.” 

Yusuke glared at Goro as the woman folded her arms. “I’m calling the-ow!”

The kid fucking _bit_ the woman. She pulled away, shoving the kid aside as she ran off, people noticing her behaviour and trailing her. Goro folded his arms, tutting, as the teenager rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. 

Now, without the panic of having to rescue a teenager from someone who was most definitely trying to kidnap him, Yusuke saw the kids appearance - he was rather short for a teenager, appearing almost like he’d just finished junior high. He had black hair that was styled in a sort of ‘fashionably messy’ style, ultramarine eyes hidden behind glasses, and was wearing a simple red hoodie, jeans and white sneakers. He had piercings in his ears, two red ones and one black. He looked at the pair with a cat-like smile.

“Thanks for helping me out there.” He grinned, “I thought I was a goner before you both showed up.” 

Yusuke nodded. “It isn’t a problem.” They nodded, before the kid chuckled and then paused, looking down at his feet.

“Oh crap… I gotta run. I got practise in like… 5 minutes? I just spaced out.” He then began to bolt in the other direction, waving goodbye to Yusuke as he went. Yusuke smiled and replicated the gesture, as Goro frowned. Yusuke looked at him with a raised brow.

“What?”

“Considering what happened to you… I didn’t think you would be that eager to step in.”

“What, and just have a child get taken in front of me?” Yusuke fiddled with their braid. “Would you rather that Goro?”

“Well, no, however…” Goro sighed. “This conversation is going to go nowhere, isn’t it?”

Yusuke nodded, as the pair separated with a wave. Yusuke later returned to Goethe to find Ohya having a harsh conversation with an individual over the yellow payphone.

“The fuck do you mean ‘not paying support’?” She hissed, her voice raspy, “Ugh, look, I can take care of him just fine. _You_ need to get off your ass and actually _visit_ him if you want to prove how competent of a goddamn father you are. You hear me?” 

She sighed, “Yes, yes, I understand that you think _I_ can’t take care of a kid, but considering you were what _forced_ them to come to me, you should shut your damn mouth! This conversation is over.” 

And she slammed the payphone back onto its stand, sighing. She looked up at Yusuke with wide eyes. 

“You heard all that, didn’t you kid?”

“Most of it… Uh, if you want me to go--”

Ohya shook her head. “No need, I was about to give you something.” And over the counter, with an underhand throw, she tossed a ring of keys at them. Yusuke caught them with ease, causing Ohya to chuckle. 

“Nice catch!” Then she smiled, “These are the keys to _Goethe_ , just in case I’m not home when you are. I’m also not busy tonight so…” She looked down at the counter. “Wanna learn how to make the famous _Goethe_ curry?”

Yusuke nodded, as he heard a familiar rabbit titter from his bag. 

“Curry? That sounds delicious!” She then gasped, “Oh, and it might be useful in the Metaverse!” 

Yusuke placed the bag on the counter, and began to listen to Ohya’s lesson. The curry was quite easy to make, but the combination of flavors and spices were complicated. A simple chicken curry was what he created, as Ohya tasted it and smiled. 

  
“Tastes good, kid! Not as good as mine, but still.” She stated, “If you ever need to practise it, the kitchen is open. And I think coffee might be next, alright?”

Yusuke nodded, now feeling a familiar warmth bubble up to their chest. 

_I AM THOU. THOU ART I_

_THOU HAST ACQUIRED A NEW VOW. IT SHALL BECOME THE WINGS OF REBELLION THAT BREAKETH THY CHAINS OF CAPTIVITY_

_WITH THE BIRTH OF_ **_THE HIEROPHANT_ ** _PERSONA, I HAVE OBTAINED THE WINDS OF BLESSING THAT SHALL LEAD TO FREEDOM AND NEW POWER_

  
  


Ohya nodded. “Alright, kid, you can lock up tonight. Just testing if I gave the right person access to the shop.” She then paused, whiffing the air. “Also, you should take a bath. No offense but you smell like shit.” 

Yusuke gritted their teeth. Great, time to go to the bathhouse and try not to look down at their chest. They swallowed for a second, before nodding, thanking Ohya once more. After Ohya left, they went to the bathhouse and began to wash, looking away from their body as they did so, trying not to alert everyone in the bath house of their behaviours. They felt a little bit more comfortable upon doing so, possibly because they were clean again, and that felt great. 

When they got home - after they locked up - they saw a collection of texts from Makoto and Goro.

[MAKOTO] - so, should we go to the palace tomorrow

[GORO] - Yes, I think we should

[YUSUKE] - why do you both text with perfect grammar and punctuation

[YUSUKE] - what is wrong with you

[GORO] - It’s a force of habit, Yusuke

[MAKOTO] - i just like ,,, putting commas in places,,,

[YUSUKE] - okay guess i spoke too soon

[GORO] - Also, Yusuke, remember that kid we managed to save from getting kidnapped in Shibuya today?

[MAKOTO] - i’m sorry, you did what?! 

[YUSUKE] - saved a kid from getting kidnapped

[MAKOTO] - in shibuya??? in broad daylight??? what the actual fuck??? 

[YUSUKE] - also yes of course

[GORO] - I believe he’s a fellow transfer student at Shujin

[GORO] - Gymnastics, I assume

[GORO] - Amamiya is his name

[MAKOTO] - oh! i’ve heard of him! apparently he’s like this gymnastics prodigy

[YUSUKE] - meanwhile im just the criminal attic trash

“Hey! Don’t call yourself that!”

[YUSUKE] - sumire just told me off for calling myself trash

[MAKOTO] - she can read this???

[GORO] - She’s surprisingly intelligent, for a rabbit

That caused Yusuke to pause, turning to face their fuzzy companion.

“Sumire, do you know what a rabbit is?”

Sumire shook her head. “Uh… Well… You see…” Her ears drooped a little bit. “Aside from the Metaverse, I don’t know much. I just… Woke up there one day without any memories.” She chuckled. “Yeah, it’s kinda strange, but I apparently knew a lot about the Metaverse so… I just went exploring.” 

She sighed, “That’s how I ended up in Kamoshida’s palace. I got found and shoved into a cell by some of the knights. And that’s when you guys found me.” 

Yusuke scratched Sumire’s neck, causing her to titter once more. “That tickles, Senpai!” 

“Do you want us to help you find your memories, Sumire?”

“Um… If you want to, of course?”

“You’ve been an excellent guide to the Metaverse, Sumire. I believe that we must repay you.” 

If Sumire wasn’t coated in fur, it’s likely that she would’ve been blushing due to Yusuke’s kindness. Her ears covered her eyes in embarrassment as she struggled to stutter a sentence out. Yusuke snapped a quick photo and sent it to the group chat.

[CRIMINAL ATTIC TRASH] - i think i broke her

[CRIMINAL ATTIC TRASH] - also what is up with my name

[BUCHI FANGIRL] - GORO AKECHI I THOUGHT THAT WAS BETWEEN US?!

[I JUST LOVE BALLS] - 😈 😈 😈

[I JUST LOVE BALLS] - I haven’t the foggiest idea what you’re talking about, Makoto 

Yusuke laughed, placing their phone away as they drifted off to sleep once more. 

xxx

The next day, after class but before lunch break, Yusuke had discovered that they were being followed. Initially assuming it was just one of the students who were going to ask _way_ too many personal questions about their criminal record - or compliment them for getting a question right in class, like being intelligent wasn’t something a person with a record could do - they chose to ignore it. That is, until they kept getting trailed.

Sumire popped her head out of the bag, looking over her shoulder. “Um… Yusuke-senpai, do you think we’re being watched?”

Yusuke nodded, turning a corner and trying to move as fast as they could in the halls without getting in trouble for running. Finally, they turned around, mainly to stop the person from following them, only to get met by a person holding a notebook, scribbling down notes as she walked. 

She was about their height - which was not that common for a girl - wearing the Shujin academy uniform, but with a large red bow around her neck instead of the traditional small black ribbon, and long black tights. Her wine colored hair was loose, a ribbon hair decoration slid onto the side of her hair. She had indigo eyes, and they were narrowed, drawing attention to a mole underneath her left eye.

She kept scribbling in her notebook, as Yusuke raised a brow.

“Um, why are you following me?”

“Just wanted to know what the infamous delinquent transfer gets up to in his spare time.” 

Yusuke sighed. “And instead of talking to me, you decided to _stalk_ me. That’s not very polite, ma’am.”

The girl appeared offended, her brows crinkling as she slammed her book shut. She scoffed. “Well, excuse me for taking any methods possible to get the best scoop!” 

Yusuke paused. Best scoop? They didn’t know the girl -- after all, she’d been following them ever since they’d left class without much of a hello -- but judging by that statement, she was on the school’s newspaper club. She pouted as they didn’t respond, folding their arms.

“Shouldn’t you… Oh, I don’t know _ask_ if people want to be interviewed?”

“I tried that, however…” She frowned, appearing rather disappointed, “They all just stay away from me, for some reason.”

Maybe it’s because you stalk people. Yusuke shook their head, sighing, as the girl tapped her pencil against her lip. She then gasped.

“Ooh! I know! You can help me out!” She smiled, “You seem to _always_ end up in the weirdest places, like, you hang out with the Volleyball Prince and the Dragon of Shujin! You would be _perfect_ to help me find subjects!” 

Yusuke nodded. “Ah… Alright then?”

The girl grinned. “Excellent! I’m Hifumi Togo, by the way, if you want to take me up on that offer, meet me at the Newspaper Club room whenever you’re free!” 

Yusuke winced, but nodded. What the hell had they just got themself into? That’s when they suddenly felt that warm feeling in their chest again. Oh God, this person was important to their rehabilitation. 

_I AM THOU. THOU ART I_

_THOU HAST ACQUIRED A NEW VOW. IT SHALL BECOME THE WINGS OF FREEDOM THAT BREAKETH THY CHAINS OF CAPTIVITY_

_WITH THE BIRTH OF_ **_THE DEVIL_ ** _PERSONA, I HAVE OBTAINED THE WINDS OF BLESSING THAT SHALL LEAD TO FREEDOM AND NEW POWER_

That was a surprisingly fitting title for this girl, Yusuke sighed. Hifumi said farewell, excitedly skipping off as if she hadn’t been stalking them for the past couple hours, leaving them to try to find Goro & Makoto. Time to storm Kamoshida’s perverted castle… Again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two new confidants! that was quick! 
> 
> yakuza chihaya! i love her! also i figured that due to yusuke living near junes and being 50% broke most of the time, they'd still be a fuckin amazing haggler. 
> 
> as for yusuke's stats, i imagine that they have max proficiency (which is why they could catch the keys almost instantly as they were thrown at them), average intelligence & guts, and comparatively low kindness & charm. charm i more see as 'confidence' as well, and its not like yusuke is unconfident, but dysphoria means that they don't feel confidant in their body 
> 
> also we have been introduced to a new character; our faith confidant! im very excited to mess around with him further, especially as ive spoiled p much everything to do with him on my tumblr :') considering he's the faith confidant, and his appearance and surname dont really match, you would understand what's going on lmao 
> 
> finally, yusuke is allowed to leave the house while ohya isn't there! i think she trusts them enough to know that they arent gonna set the house on fire lmao. sidenote; they clip the keys to their belt pocket, and it makes little jingling noises when they run!
> 
> the chat names were my favourite part of this chapter lmao. goro's references hiimdaisy's persona 4 comic, wherein yu is introduced to the sports team via one of them saying that he just _looooves_ balls. :') 
> 
> yusuke getting stalked by devil!hifumi was more or less me taking a shot at the fact that they were introed in canon via them stalking ann... but devil hifumi is fun~ even tho she and yusuke got off on the wrong foot. if youve played bugsnax (or at least watched a playthrough of it) i based her a little bit of beffica from that game! who, btw, is voiced by cassandra lee morris aka morgana! 
> 
> next chapter we will have yusuke get a new persona! :'D im very excited to show that off, especially considering game mechanics are _super_ hard to translate into fic :'( it may take awhile, tbh im still off the high from yusuke's birthday, and also getting an undercut (fuckin finally) 
> 
> towards the start of march ill be back at uni so frequent updates might be less common, so get used to it friends :')


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **TW: ABUSE REFERENCE, EATING DISORDER REFERENCE, ILLNESS REFERENCE, ACCIDENTAL MISGENDERING OF A NONBINARY CHARACTER**

12 Days Until the Board Meeting

“All enemies are down! Let’s keep it moving, Fox!” 

“Got it! Everyone, you know what to do!”

“This is a hold up!” 

Pointing their guns at the mostly dizzy pumpkin headed ghosts in Kamoshida’s palace stood the rag tag group that all came to destroy the king himself. Yusuke - known in this world as Fox - stood in the middle of the charge, flanked by Goro - known as Ace -, Sumire - known as Sumi - & Makoto - known as Rook (“After all,” Goro soliloquized, “A rook is the most important piece in chess.”). 

Makoto’s gun had also been formed that day, transmuting from a simple pistol to an assault rifle. It appeared rather heavy when the group first saw it, but now that it was in her hands it almost seemed lighter than she thought. Now it was held at the pumpkin’s face, it squeaked in confusion. 

“Hee-Are you trying to hee-kill me ho?” 

Yusuke lowered their gun. “This is just a hold up, nothing personal,” They stated, eyes narrowed, “Any money, items?”

“Normal-hee I have some on me-hee ho! I just don't at the hee-homent!” 

Makoto snorted. “So it’s useless to us.” 

“Hold it,” Yusuke raised a hand, “Give me a second…” They frowned, looking at the creature. The creature began to bob back and forth in response to Yusuke’s gun moving, Yusuke looked at the gun movement and chuckled. 

“Do you like my gun?”

“Hee-yes!” The creature squealed, “It looks so-ho strong!” 

“What do you think a bullet would feel like going through your pumpkin head?”

“Pret-hee strong, I assume!” The creature appeared to droop, “But I don't hee-think I would like that, ho.” 

“You wouldn’t?” Yusuke smirked, “I think it would be fun to try.” 

“You hee-have a strange idea of fun, hee-uman…” The creature appeared to be pondering for a second, “Wait a hee-minute… I’m not supposed to be of service to Kamos-hee-da! I am a being from the sea of souls! I am known as Pyro Jack, and from this day forward, I am you, hee-ho!” 

And the creature transformed into a familiar looking fox mask, Yusuke grabbing it and placing it on their face with a smirk. Sumire’s jaw dropped. 

“So… You can have multiple Personas?”

“I guess so…” Yusuke smiled, testing out summoning Pyro Jack forward. It appeared in a flash of flame as it laughed, then they pulled it back, summoning Faust again. 

“That doesn’t make any sense!” Sumire whispered, “The only way you could have multiple Personas is if you had multiple hearts, which would be pretty hard to deal with!”

“Fox, are you _sure_ you aren’t an eldritch abomination?”

Yusuke shrugged. “Just lucky, I guess.” 

Eventually, Yusuke managed to collect a few more creatures -- a two horned horse creature known as the Bicorn, a fairy-like humanoid named Pixie, and a humanoid flower looking being called Mandrake. Now with five Personas at play, it meant that the palace could be tackled a lot faster.

They searched around for an infiltration route, stopping at safe rooms along the way to heal up. Yusuke - with Sumire’s suggestion - had brought some _Goethe_ curry for the group to try, and was amazed that it increased their spirits. 

They continued to look around, fighting Shadows and discovering more rooms of the perverted king’s castle, eventually stumbling across a room that was locked -- a library, with books scattered across the floor. Goro bent down and picked up one of the books, pausing to read its title;

_Book of Slaves_

He swallowed, opening the book to see pages upon pages of Shujin Students, but was equally shocked when he didn’t see his name - he saw Mishima and a few other volleyball team members, but not him.

“There’s no fucking way…” He swallowed, slamming the book shut and turning to face the group. “I believe we should keep this. It may help us find out how to get another entrance.”

Makoto nodded, “I agree. Let’s keep going, shall we, Fox?”

Yusuke nodded, looking around for the books once more, now finding a book that was titled;

_Book of Queens_

As they opened it, they read the names off as they were proudly displayed-- female volleyball students, they recognised one of the names from their class as Shiho Suzui, a young woman who was covered in bruises, and walked around like she was made of glass. Scanning down the list, they saw Makoto’s name, written in bold, underlined in red. Waxing poetic on how she needed to be fixed.

Yusuke swallowed, realizing Makoto was looking at the book over their shoulder. 

“That bastard…” She whispered, “Treating women like cattle…” 

Yusuke frowned, shutting the book. “So, that’s the second book. Slaves, Queens…” 

“What about this one, Senpai?” Sumire called from the other side of the room, holding a book between her ears. “This one says _Book of Kings_! I think it might be important!” 

“Excellent, Sumi!” Goro smiled, taking the book from her and flinging it open, as his expression darkened, eyebrows furrowed and eyes narrowed. “...I never want to look at this book again.”

“Please tell me it’s not a full sized drawing of Kamoshida’s penis.”

“...To be honest, I’d rather it be that.” Goro whispered, “I knew that he was grooming me to be his successor, but I never expected it to be this extreme.” 

Makoto winced, staring at the book. “...” Goro frowned as he shut the book now, turning to face Yusuke.

“So, Fox, have any idea what this is about?” 

_Book of Kings_ , _Book of Queens_ , _Book of Slaves_ … Obviously it’s listed in some sort of hierarchy… King, Queen, Slave… King, Queen, Slave… Aha!

Yusuke placed the book they were holding - the _Book of Queens_ \- in the centre of the shelf. Then they grabbed the _Book of Kings_ from Goro’s hands and placed it to the left of the _Queens_ book.

“I don’t think now’s the time for interior decorating, Fox.” 

Ignoring the comment from Goro, Yusuke slid the final book to the right of the _Queens_ book. With one final push, that’s when the bookshelf slid open, revealing the room that the treasure was kept with, guarded by several shadow guards. Sliding around the door, Yusuke looked around the corner. 

“So, Sumi, where’s the treasure?”

“It won’t appear until we’ve sent the calling card, Ace-senpai!” Sumire clarified, “For now it’s just… Vague.” 

“That makes a lot of sense,” Makoto whispered, “After all, we are uprooting his entire philosophy. Again, is our leader going to write the calling card?”

“Rook, I don’t remember there being an election for leader which I won.”

“I mean… Fox, you are the most powerful member of us --” Makoto smiled, “You can also summon multiple Personas.”

“Yes, but I don’t think that applies to creating a calling card.” Yusuke looked over at Goro, “Why not assign that task to Ace?” 

Goro nodded. “I agree with Fox, after all, if they’re doing multiple tasks in this heist, it could get overwhelming for them.” He smiled. “I’ll also figure out how to draw his attention to the card. Maybe slip it under his door?”

“It’s likely he’ll just assume it’s a prank or something.” Makoto stated, before her eyes widened. “I have a _much_ better idea.”

xxx

11 Days Until the Board Meeting

After school, Yusuke found themselves standing outside Untouchable, a deep breath crossing their lips. Sumire popped her head out of their bag.

“Are you sure about this, Yusuke-senpai?” 

Yusuke nodded. After all, they had gotten several part time jobs that caused them to get discounts on things, just small things like food or groceries. Would it be the same at the gun shop? They didn’t know, but something about Chihaya made them feel that they should seek it out. It was most likely she was one of those ‘bonds’ Igor would not shut up about. 

They sighed, and opened the door, only to see a figure rush out in a hurry. 

“And stay out!” Chihaya’s voice called, as Yusuke walked in and she pinched her nose. They blinked, to which Chihaya sighed, her expression turning back into a perky one.

“Welcome back!” She smiled, “I see you’ve enjoyed the last models.” She folded her arms. “You’re a collector or something?”

“Something like that, yes.” Yusuke nodded. “I came here to ask a question -- aside from relentless haggling, what would be the best way to get a discount at this location?” 

Chihaya blinked, “Well…”

“And another question -- who was the man who just left?” 

It was an actual question, Yusuke was genuinely curious about who the individual was. Chihaya appeared taken aback by their genuine curiosity and sighed, pulling them into a backroom - the room was fairly standard for this sort of shop, MRE rations piled up, beside boxes of new model guns, a couple family photographs pinned to a corkboard on the wall. Chihaya frowned.

“That was my old employer Akimitsu Tsuda,” She sighed, “You don’t need to know the whole story, it’s not important.” She removed her jacket to reveal that her right arm was covered in classic Yakuza style tattoos. “As for the discounts… Well, you can get them by working here, but I dunno…” She frowned, “Are you sure about this, Kitagawa-kun?” 

“Any other benefits?”

“Well, there’s upgrades as well! If you… Yknow, want to make your weapon look nice and shiny to show off…” Chihaya giggled, “And, I could also pay you! You’re new to Tokyo, right? Akechi-kun made it sound like you were… And you don’t know what shady types want to mess with newcomers in Tokyo.” 

Coming from the woman with a full Yakuza sleeve propositioning a teenager about a part time job, but alright, sure. Yusuke nodded, bowing their head as the warmth in their chest bubbled up. Their hunch was right;

_I AM THOU. THOU ART I_

_THOU HAST ACQUIRED A NEW VOW. IT SHALL BECOME THE WINGS OF FREEDOM THAT BREAKETH THY CHAINS OF CAPTIVITY_

_WITH THE BIRTH OF_ **_THE HANGED MAN_ ** _PERSONA, I HAVE OBTAINED THE WINDS OF BLESSING THAT SHALL LEAD TO FREEDOM AND NEW POWER_

The Hanged Man, huh? Interesting title. Chihaya nodded. 

“Alright, I’ll message you when I need you, gimme your phone.” 

Yusuke did so, as Chihaya quickly typed her number down. She handed the phone back with a grin.

“See ya around, collector.” 

xxx

10 Days Until The Board Meeting

Goro showed Yusuke a draft of the calling card when they met up on the roof that they had decided would be their ‘hideout’ for the time being - after all no one would come up there where the delinquent transfer student, the volleyball ace and the Dragon of Shujin had occupied, plus the bunny rabbit that slept in said delinquent transfer student’s bag. 

“It’s just a rough draft, but I think it should work.” Goro whispered, showing the card to Yusuke, as it read;

SIR SUGURU KAMOSHIDA

THE UTTER BASTARD OF LUST

YOUR VILLAINOUS DEEDS HAVE GONE ON FOR TOO LONG. YOU FORCE YOUR TWISTED DESIRES ONTO STUDENTS WHO CAN’T FIGHT BACK, DESTROYING THEIR LIVES AND REPUTATIONS

WE HAVE DECIDED TO STEAL THOSE DESIRES AND MAKE YOU CONFESS YOUR CRIMES. THIS WILL BE DONE TOMORROW SO WE HOPE YOU’RE READY

SIGNED, THE PHANTOM THIEVES

“So, what do you think?” 

Yusuke bit their bottom lip, more focused on the name.

“The Phantom Thieves?”

“I mean, that’s what we are, right?” Goro smiled, “After all, we’re stealing things that people _can’t_ steal -- hearts, desires… And that’s why we decided to choose codenames. To lay low.”

“And yet we’re talking about it on a rooftop in broad daylight.”

Goro winced. “Yeah, I thought you were going to say that.”

Yusuke furrowed their brows once more, remembering they had a piece of scrap paper in their school bag. Pulling it out and a pen, they started to lightly sketch -- a familiar visage of a plume of fire with an elaborate, tengu like face. Faust. Goro blinked as Yusuke showed him the drawing, much to his surprise.

“That looks _awesome_. But what’s it for?”

“It’s a logo. So that way, we look more like an organized group of bandits, instead of a collection of high schoolers.” 

“Sound logic, Yusuke.” Goro complimented. “So… You’re an artist, aren’t you?”

“My mother was, before she fell ill. I just know the basics.”

“This looks… _too advanced_ to be the basics.”

Yusuke chuckled, rubbing a hand behind their head. “It really is, isn’t it?”

After the impromptu meeting, Yusuke accidentally ran into a girl who was struggling to cart a bag of fertilizer around. They paused and picked the fertilizer up without much word, as the girl sighed, wiping her brow. She was short, with a choppy bob dyed bright orange, the other side shaved. In most people’s eyes, she would appear more like a delinquent compared to him, but her eyes being covered by thick black glasses definitely portrayed a much different image.

She pouted. “H-Hey! I had a handle on that!” She folded her arms, kicking the ground. 

Yusuke laughed. “You didn’t seem like you did.”

“Shut it!” 

The girl frowned, as Yusuke handed her the fertilizer once more. She nearly dropped it on her foot, but began to shakily hold it, looking Yusuke dead in the eye as she did so. And then she vanished down the stairs, as if nothing happened. What a strange young woman…

xxx

9 Days Until the Board Meeting

Makoto dragged Yusuke to Big Bang Burger that afternoon - mainly as she was concerned they hadn’t been eating - and sat them in front of the largest burger they had ever seen. They remembered hearing of the rainy day beef bowl challenge in Inaba, but this made it look even more ridiculous.

Awkwardly, they removed one strand of wet lettuce, crunched it between their teeth, and gagged. Makoto, who was daintily chowing down on the gigantic burger before them, looked up, wiping some sauce off her face.

“So… What’s up?” She paused, “I’m guessing you’re nervous. The Board Meeting is in 9 days. I know people who stress eat, and I think you’re stressed…”

Yusuke frowned. “I’m not really the best with my diet…” They paused, “N-Not in that way, of course. I just… Don’t feel hungry as often.”

Makoto paused. “Huh. That’s weird.” She sighed. “Like, you have a good metabolism or something?” 

Yusuke nodded, as Makoto chuckled.

“Don’t say that too loud, I know _several_ women who would be jealous of you.” And she continued to chow down on her burger, as Yusuke paused for a moment. The energy radiating off the burger seemed rather palpable, even if it was somewhat disgusting looking. 

By the time they left the restaurant, it was night. After they went their separate ways, however, Yusuke saw a man on a soapbox folding through cue cards - tall, youthful looking, messy brown hair and dark colored eyes, a slight goatee. The few people actually paying attention to his speech appeared to look at him with disdain and confusion. Yusuke heard soft mutterings; “No-Good-Kichi” was one of the nicknames they heard. 

Great, it was just like the rumors at school, only delivered at an adult who was trying his best instead of some kid who was in too far over their head. The gent sighed, placing his cue cards in his pocket as he walked off to the Beef Bowl shop, Sumire sticking her head out of the bag at just the right moment.

“He sounds like he knows what he’s talking about… No rush, but maybe you should think of getting a job at the Beef Bowl shop? You know, try to scope him out.”

Yusuke rolled their eyes. But maybe they would try it. After all, they got one part time job from this insane Tokyo adventure, and they’d previously had 3 in Inaba. Maybe that would help? 

Well, whatever it was, they didn’t have time to think about it. Now to go back home and go to sleep, then send the new and improved calling card.

xxx

8 Days Until the Board Meeting

Shiho froze as she saw the red and black cards that took up the school’s noticeboard. She tried to read the text on them, but was pushed to the back by a collection of students, making her wounds from the previous afternoon’s volleyball practise harder to bear. As the students murmured, wondering whether the cards were a prank, its recipient stepped in between the students, pushing them aside. 

Suguru Kamoshida was not happy, Shiho could feel it. He shook with rage as he took one of the cards, crumpling it in his hand and slamming it beneath his feet. 

“Whoever has pulled this prank will be expelled, mark my goddamn words!” He shouted, storming off, startling Shiho. But inside, a small part of her felt much better. Wrapping her arm around her shoulder was Ann Takamaki, the Detective Princess, who smiled.

“Well, guess it’s all's well that ends well, isn’t it?” She smiled. “The Phantom Thieves… I wonder what they’re gonna do?” 

Shiho frowned, biting her bottom lip, thinking of writing an apology to the transfer student that she leaked the record of, wondering what distorted desires meant in the grand scheme of things. She shuddered, her stomach twisting, Ann’s smile making her feel better.

“Hey, maybe after school we can get crepes together! My treat!”  
  
“D-Don’t you have work tonight?”

Ann scoffed. “Work? Don’t be silly, Isshiki-san has the shutdown cases on lock, she only needs my help for when things get serious.” She smiled at her best friend, and for a moment, everything felt lighter.

On the rooftop of the school, three students and a rabbit pressed a button, and vanished into a cognitive castle. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE'RE NEARLY AT THE END OF THE KAMOSHITHEAD ARC, BITCHES! GET READY TO FUCKIN CELEBRATE!
> 
> tbh this chapter was just to introduce some more confidants and ideas for the story! yusuke collecting pyro jack (tbh i prefer that name to jack o lantern), pixie, bicorn and mandrake was my fave part of this chapter, mainly bc i got to write jack frost style dialogue :'). 
> 
> translating the king queen slave puzzle is rather fitting for yusuke, mainly as they are a little fastidious in canon, and i would imagine it would just look like "interior decorating". also the king book isn't just about kamoshida, it also contains information on goro as well, due to the fact that kamoshida is grooming him to be his successor. the only problem with this plan has been hinted at in _several_ chapters
> 
> yakuza chihaya confidant! im very excited to talk about my terrifying wife :') + the first part time job! ive mentioned how yusuke worked several part time jobs in inaba, so i figured why not start their collection here? 
> 
> the scene on the rooftop was where i wanted to have yusuke be the one design the logo, as no matter the universe, they are still very much the artist of the phantom thieves. however, due to not having a certain plagerising dipshit see their 'talent' when they were young, yusuke didnt have a chance to explore that talent. i imagine that yusuke's mother _did_ teach them a lot before she fell ill, but due to yusuke's interest in art being from their mother, they didn't really have time to explore it. 
> 
> futaba! i love xem! yes futaba uses xe/xem pronouns in this fic but yusuke assumes that xe is cis. dont worry, there isn't gonna be any romance between foolsuke and futaba. xe and yusuke will still have the exact same relationship as in canon, with a lot of bickering - although i am a _crazy_ yutaba shipper, there will be more of a focus on akekita and yusuann in this fic!
> 
> the big bang burger scene was more me showing off the big bang burger challenge and poor yusuke being very confused lmao. i gave yusuke an incredibly strong metabolism as an explanation as to why they dont get hungry as quickly in this fic as opposed to canon where they were basically abused into being a starving artist. plus, on a similar note, they have a few foods that they specifically like (jagiriko, goethe curry) and the rest are pretty eh. i gave them my thing for lettuce :') it tastes like wet paper dont at me
> 
> ZENKICHI. SHADY POLICE MAN. I LOVE YOU. i find it funny that i introduce zenkichi after yusuke goes to a burger place considering well... _bunger_. 
> 
> and now for the calling cards and intro to both shiho and ann! justice ann is a _ride_ but moon shiho is just as fun as well. she's not going to get fully introed until after the kamoshida arc, so lets wait around for that! yes, wakaba is alive, she's in sae's position and futaba's full name is futaba isshiki instead of futaba sakura. 
> 
> in fact - sojiro's not in this story :'( when i get around to actually finishing this one up and writing strikers, youll be introed to him!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **TW: SEXUAL HARASSMENT REFERENCE, GROWN MAN FANTASISING OVER A TEENAGE GIRL, MISGENDERING OF A NONBINARY CHARACTER**

“Shit! Rook, guards, 12 o’clock!”

“On it, Ace!”

The sound of a motorcycle revving up through the collection of guards protecting the stairwell could be heard from the king’s chambers. Kamoshida, sitting, cross legged on his throne, eating grapes that were fed to him by a bunny suited Shiho Suzui, smiled wickedly, his gold eyes glaring through the wall. 

“Okay, so I see the stealth run was off the cards when Rook ran over the Shadow guarding the entrance.” 

“Fox-senpai _ ,  _ you were the one who told her to do that!”

A dark chuckle escaped Kamoshida’s mouth as he turned to his servant, who followed his every move in the classically sexy way that he desired. Yes, she was a teenage girl, but he didn’t care. To him, these students were his property -- his slaves, his servants, his  _ treasures.  _

“Gah, we’re on the ropes! Dorian Gray, Dia!”

“Thanks for the assist! Fox-senpai, do you have any medicine on you?”

“There’s so many treasure chests in this castle if I didn’t  _ have  _ any I’d be surprised.”

“Good, we don’t need to waste any more energy than we already have.” 

“Wise words, Rook-senpai! Now, let’s keep going!” 

“Alright--” Knuckles cracked as a rush of water brought itself to the surface, “Ching Shih! Aqua!”

“I think I can damage them further--” Suddenly the flapping of wings alerted Kamoshida to the fact the intruders were getting higher up, “--Pixie! Zio!” 

With the crackle of lightning and an explosion of color, the guards blocking the stairwell were defeated. Kamoshida crossed his arms. 

“ **_Those brats think they can take my treasure? Be my guest._ ** ”

Below the king’s quarters were those ‘brats’, running as fast as they could up the spiral staircase - Makoto on the back of Ching Shih to increase her speed, as the others kept running. Turning back around, Goro could see they were being trailed, as he snarled.

“Shit! How many of those things are there?”

“The security level is extreme, Ace-senpai!” Sumire shouted from the front of the pack, “They’re just protecting the treasure!” That’s when she noticed a chandelier above them, and passed something to Yusuke, standing beside her. “Fox-senpai, I have something you can use! It’s a grappling hook, just shoot for that chandelier and pull!” 

Yusuke nodded, sliding the hook onto their wrist as they flicked it upwards. The chain that flew out attached itself to the chandelier, as Sumire used her ears to grab onto their leg, and they shot  _ upwards _ , landing on a shelf above a single Shadow. Yusuke smiled, and for a moment it was almost like the fox ears on their mask were twitching, looking down for the kill. 

Sumire blinked. “What are you going to do?”

That’s when Yusuke shot the chain down towards the Shadow, ambushing it in one fail swoop, pulling off its mask with a surprising flourish;

“Reveal yourself!” 

xxx

“Did… You really… Have to go for the dramatics?” 

Goro’s pants of exhaustion and frustration were met with a light, relieved chuckle from Makoto. Yusuke shrugged, adjusting their gloves as they found the bookshelf that they’d opened yesterday. There was Kamoshida, surrounded by Shadow Guards, Shiho Suzui in a bunny outfit with fluffy cuffs and hot pink stilettos linked to his arm. Makoto swallowed, Goro clenched his hand tighter around his rapier, as Yusuke stared him down.

“ **_Ah, you’ve finally arrived!_ ** ” Kamoshida snapped his fingers, “ **_Guards, dispose of these thieves._ ** ” 

And the knights dissolved once more into the monsters before - three of them Yusuke could now name, Bicorn, Pixie and Pyro Jack - but the knight on a demonic horse was all too familiar to the group. There were several around the palace, Yusuke had tried to recruit it and failed, most likely insulting it in the process. 

Goro took a swing at Pixie with his rapier, as the creature healed itself. Then, Goro shot the creature twice with his shotgun, causing it to collapse to the floor. Next was Makoto against Pyro Jack -- Makoto’s water skills having the advantage as Ching Shih made the floor beneath the fire pumpkin flood, drowning it. Bicorn against Sumire seemed like an unfair match-up, although Sumire used her ears as leverage, jumping onto the creature’s back and summoning D'Artagnan to shock the creature into an unconscious state. 

Finally, there was Yusuke against the infamous black knight. They swallowed, shuffling their feet as they produced their scythe, striking the creature to no avail. Then, they did a quick scan of the creature -- “It’s weak to electric attacks!” Sumire helpfully reminded, as they smirked, summoning Pixie to shock it once more, as it fell to the floor. 

The four stood against the monster’s holding guns to their heads. No useful items could be gained, and Yusuke was pretty sure the knight was too far gone. So instead, they had one thing to do;

“Time for an All-Out-Attack!” Sumire called, as the four jumped into action. Yusuke had learnt how to perform the maneuver earlier in the palace, before Goro’s awakening, but now was as good of a time as any to use it. Four to four, the group attacked with multiple slashes, kicks and punches, before a final spin gave an almost dramatic splash screen effect. 

Yusuke, standing, face to the camera, holding their scythe behind their back with the blade making an arc around their head. Behind them was large, ornate text, reading “BEAUTIFUL VICE”. Cognition can even turn a simple finishing attack into something dramatic and beautiful -- Yusuke mused once the attack was over, and the creatures vanished once more. 

Kamoshida’s face went red, glowing yellow eyes staring down the group. Next to him, the bunny-suited Shiho fiddled with a strand of hair nervously. Unlike the cognitive Makoto, teasing and immature, this cognitive Shiho was closer to her personality in the real world -- demure and timid, not even speaking. When Kamoshida glared at her, she flinched, almost as if she’d been hit. 

Yusuke pointed their revolver at Kamoshida. “Sorry for the interruption, we just want to take your treasure.”

Kamoshida snorted, “ **_Really? You think I’m just gonna… Hand it over because you’re polite or whatever?_ ** ” He furrowed his brows, “ **_Ah, you’re so naive. Thinking just because you have that stupid mask on that you’re now a ‘hero’? To the people of Shujin, you’re nothing but a good-for-nothing criminal!_ ** ”

Yusuke gulped, their calm expression not dropping, their revolver shaking in their hand. That’s when Makoto spoke up;

“How the hell did you manage to spread that around?”

“Yeah, you can’t have been the only one to have known about this -- so who did you pay off to start it?”

In response to the other two teenagers’ rage towards him, Kamoshida just smiled, petting the head of the cognitive Shiho. It was almost like she was a pet to him, a toy, and that made all the individuals in the room sans Kamoshida  _ sick _ . He gestured towards Yusuke;

**_“Come now, Pet, tell the fox girl what you did.”_ **

“Girl?” Makoto whispered, eyes wide as Yusuke swallowed, taking a step back as Shiho stepped forward. 

Her eyes were blank, and her voice was robotic, as if reciting a grocery list, when she explained,  _ in detail _ , how Kamoshida forced her to leak Yusuke’s record with threats of more severe injuries. Yusuke’s stomach  _ fell  _ as she continued to describe the injures she would’ve gotten, complete with Kamoshida snapping her leg so she would never be able to compete again.

Hands still shaking around the revolver, Yusuke’s eyes narrowed. They felt their breath hitch. They didn’t realize that they stepped forward, noticing that Sumire wrapped her ears around their waist as they tried to push off, teeth clenched and stomach twisting.

“You bastard!” They shouted, rushing towards Kamoshida, indirectly firing their revolver at the cognitive Shiho… Who disappeared into nothing. They didn’t notice, nor did they care, still focusing on running towards Kamoshida, who dodged their movement. Spinning on a hairpin, Yusuke continued to rush, eyes narrowed and heart pounding. 

“Shit! Fox! Calm down!” 

Not hearing Makoto’s shout, Yusuke kept racing forward, about ready to kill the man, when he dodged once more, before spiking them like a volleyball into the floor. They groaned, pulling up, using their scythe for leverage as Kamoshida smirked.

“ **_You really think you can do anything, you pussy?_ ** ”

Then, they swiped the scythe towards his neck,the point barely touching him. The king laughed, and laughed and laughed and laughed as he devolved, his body melting into wax as it reformed, Yusuke’s eyes widening as they suddenly felt the ground explode, tossing them back into their group with a grunt. That’s when they realized what was forming, a pink bubblegum explosion, forming into the face and body of a demon with Kamoshida’s distinct appearance - chin and all. 

Sumire quickly summoned D'Artagnan to heal Yusuke, who was looking very roughed up after being thrown back. Yusuke sighed, looking up at the demon with a smirk. 

“Are we ready, guys?”

Goro summoned Dorian Gray. Makoto summoned Ching Shih. Yusuke quickly switched from Faust to Bicorn. And thus, the fight began. Kamoshida was a tough opponent, able to summon multiple enemies to fight, but the good news was their weaknesses were known - shoot Pixie, water on Pyro Jack, electricity on Bicorn and the Black Knight. 

Kamoshida himself summoned something else to fight - a gigantic trophy that Sumire called the Trophy of Obsession. No weaknesses, no strengths, but a dangerous amount of HP. Makoto filled it with water using Ching Shih, Goro blasted it with both his gun and a new skill he’d gained in the palace - a gun  _ skill  _ called Dream Needle. Sumire and Yusuke managed to electrocute it, using Makoto’s water skill to fully knock the trophy out with an All Out Attack. 

Then a pause.

“There’s the treasure!”

“It’s the crown?” 

“How the hell are we going to get it?!”

“Well, we have to send  _ someone  _ out to get it! I’ll go!”

“Are you sure about that Rook?”

Makoto nodded, sitting on Ching Shih as she rode off to grab the crown, while Yusuke, Goro and Sumire distracted Kamoshida by attacking him more. He was weakened, now that he didn’t have his guards around. Fitting -- it was just like how he was in the real world. Hiding behind a facade, hiding behind others, getting others to do his dirty work, unless he had to get serious. 

Now his allies were gone, and he was left wide open. 

With a flick of their wrist, Yusuke swapped to Faust, now holding their true self behind them as they blasted Kamoshida with fire. It burnt, and it burnt badly. Makoto rode down Kamoshida’s monster form back, the crown in between her hands, as the dizzy king nearly collapsed before them. With one last All Out Attack… It was over.

The King of Shujin Academy had been dethroned, reduced to a snivelling wreck on the floor as all three teenagers and one rabbit pointed their weapons at him.

“ **_No! Please! Spare me!_ ** ”

Goro lowered his shotgun, eyes narrowed. “Hmph… Pathetic.” His voice was tinged with venom, and Yusuke swallowed. But the thing that came out of Goro’s mouth next was even more surprising. “You’re not worth killing.” 

Makoto turned to face him. “Wait, what? You’re just gonna let him go? After everything he did?”

“If we don’t ‘let him go’, he becomes a vegetable,” Goro stated, his voice cold, “You won’t get your justice, Suzui won’t get her justice, and  _ Yuuki  _ won’t get his justice if we end him now.” 

Makoto swallowed, frowning, before she nodded in agreement. 

“Well, all decisions must be made unanimously,” Sumire whispered, her voice somewhat shaky, “Fox, what are your thoughts?”

“Keep him alive. Have him confess his crimes.” Yusuke glared down at the man, “Ace is right. You’re not worth killing at all.” 

And that’s when the room began to shake. “Quick! We have to go, the palace is about to collapse!” Sumire shouted, as the three nodded in somewhat of a panic, and ran.

xxx

_ Destination Deleted _

The crisp voice of the navigator alerted the teenagers to their return to the real world, as Goro groaned, rubbing his shoulder.

“That… Was a rough landing.” He huffed, “How’s everyone else holding up?”

Makoto sat up and rolled her neck. “I think I cracked my ass.” She moaned, rubbing said part of her body, before looking over at the slumped over Yusuke, butt in the air. “Um, are you alright?”

“No, I live here now.” 

Although muffled and tinged with exhaustion, there was some playfulness in their tone. That’s when Makoto looked around with wide eyes.

“Wait, where’s Sumire--”

“KYAHHHHH--”

And that question was greeted by the high pitched squeal of a bunny rabbit falling from the sky, a weighted object around her neck. Crash landing onto Yusuke, using their body like a slide as she landed on her butt, was Sumire, appearing rather dizzy from the fall. She turned around to face Yusuke, nudging them with her nose.

“Yusuke-senpai! Are you alright?”

“No, Sumire, let me die in peace…” 

“You’re not dying on my watch! Do we have any medicine?”

Makoto rolled her eyes. “Sumire, they were just making a joke.” She sighed, as Sumire paused. 

“It’s not a funny joke, though…” Then she looked down at the weight on her neck. “Oh!” 

“So, where’s the treasure?” Goro asked in confusion, as Yusuke lifted themself up using the wall as leverage. Sumire paused, struggling to lift the medal with her tiny paws. Makoto helped, and immediately recognised it;

“ _ Suguru Kamoshida, 1st place… _ ” She read, as she swallowed, “The treasure… Transformed into a medal?”

Sumire nodded. “I… I think that’s how this works? Kamoshida’s cognition made it  _ look  _ like a crown! This was what created his distorted desires.” 

“Woah…”

“It isn’t the  _ real  _ medal though,” Makoto muttered, “I believe he would notice if the actual medal was gone.” 

“So…” Yusuke grunted, “We have a replica medal, and as far as we know, Kamoshida’s heart will be changed?”

“I’d say we may have to stick it out until the board meeting--” Goro cracked his neck, “--After all, there’s no telling whether he’s gonna go back on his word.” 

Yusuke nodded, as Makoto smiled.

“How ‘bout we go get ramen? My treat.” 

_ I AM THOU. THOU ART I _

_ THOU HAST ACQUIRED A NEW VOW. IT SHALL BECOME THE WINGS OF REBELLION THAT BREAKETH THY CHAINS OF CAPTIVITY _

_ WITH THE BIRTH OF  _ **_THE WORLD_ ** _ PERSONA, I HAVE OBTAINED THE WINDS OF BLESSING THAT SHALL LEAD TO FREEDOM AND NEW POWER _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the rushed chapter but i _really_ wanted to get out of this damn perverted palace as soon as possible
> 
> time to talk about everyone's specialities;
> 
> yusuke much like joker is an all-rounder, but faust specifically has high agility and magic skills, but low strength and hp to balance it out. they're kind of a glass canon, more focused on elegance and speed
> 
> goro is magic-orientated, but has a heavy focus on healing skills and status afflictions. i was going to have a moment where he purposefully knocks yusuke out using dorminia to calm their rage down but i figured that would be complicated. he also has gun skills!
> 
> sumire has a similar focus on magic skills, but she's heavily oriented on critical hits, similar to canon!yusuke. while goro may be the party's main healer, she is the main magician, i'd say that sumi is a red/black mage while goro is more of a white mage who just so happens to use a gun
> 
> makoto has high attack, defence and hp but low magic and her sp pool is limited. learning water skills gives her a unique niche, however, she has a heavier focus on physical attacks, and later gains moves that increase in power following baton passes. her water skills are more there for utility
> 
> i altered cognitive shiho to just exist as a macguffin lmao, and to also have yusuke accidentally kill her during their rage moment. yusuke has... issues with emotional control, as shown in canon with the whole "nude painting" thing, and their breakdown at the art gallery, but here its more shown with this. theyre not even mad that shiho leaked their record, more mad about the fact that kamoshida blackmailed her into it
> 
> also **_ZA WARUDO_**! i love when persona games give the full party an arcana, and i went with the world arcana instead of the aeon bc to yusuke their friends are the world!!!! next chapter will feature more confidants, including the pastel goth doctor, the shady politician & the detective princess!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **TW: DEATH OF A TEENAGER REFERENCE, REFERENCES TO AN ANXIETY ATTACK**

After having ramen with Goro and Makoto, Yusuke found themself back in Yongen-Jaya, standing outside a familiar clinic. They swallowed. Why did Sumire think this was a good idea?

“Just in case we go back!” Sumire called from the bag, although to those outside it sounded more like tittering and small squeaks, “You never know when you might need to heal!” 

Yusuke rolled their eyes. It was likely that them running into a person’s distorted heart and stealing a treasure wouldn’t just be a one time thing -- especially considering they came up with codenames and everything. So Sumire’s suggestion to visit the quack doctor in Yongen was a rather smart move. 

However, they were immediately having second thoughts when they came up to the door and heard the end of a conversation between the doctor and two visitors to the store. 

“Look, I’ve given you your payment,” The doctor stated, her voice exhausted, “You can leave if that suits you--”

A slam on the table caused Yusuke to flinch slightly. “This isn’t enough!” A gruff male voice spoke up, “You need more to ‘repay’ for what you did!”

“Look, sir, I don’t think it was my medicine that caused his death--”

“Look at the autopsy!” An aggressive female voice shouted in, “He died of a respiratory infection, that he didn’t show  _ any  _ signs of having before  _ you  _ messed around with him!”

The doctor sighed once more. “Can you  _ please  _ leave? You’re scaring off my  _ actual  _ patients?”

A smug chuckle escaped the mouth of the gruff male, “Oh, you won’t have any patients by the time we’re done with you, Dr Sadayo Kawakami. Eventually you’ll have to be working on the street to pay us back!” 

  
And the couple left, shooting glares at Yusuke as they swallowed, pulling open the door to see a rather exhausted looking Dr Kawakami, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. She muttered something about “damn irresponsible…” before she looked up to notice Yusuke, standing in the door, eyes wide like a dolt. 

She blinked. “What do you want?” 

“J-Just came in for a checkup… Or something along those lines…” They rubbed the back of their neck, awkwardly, trying not to look the slightly intimidating older woman in the eyes as she glared at them. Kawakami rolled her eyes.

  
“Don’t lie to me, I know what you and all other teenagers in the areas come here for - uppers, downers, acid, the usual.” She huffed, “Honestly, I didn’t go to medical school to be someone’s drug dealer.” 

But before she vanished into the examination room, Yusuke remembered something from the night they awakened to Faust - the comments on the bandages and HRT, the fact that she  _ gave  _ them a binder. They swallowed, shakily raising a hand;

“Wait!” 

Kawakami turned around, looking at the shaking teenager awkwardly. They swallowed.

“Um… About HRT…”

A few minutes later, Yusuke was sitting on a bed, shirt off as Kawakami examined them. They frowned as Kawakami looked across the binder, blinking.

“Have you been sleeping in it?”

Yusuke shook their head. 

“And you mentioned earlier that you’ve been having…”

“Nightmares? Yes.” 

Kawakami frowned. “You aren’t a very good liar, Kitagawa-kun, but I never would’ve suspected you as the type to want drugs.” She sighed, “Ohya mentioned you were on probation, and I wasn’t sure what for, you seemed like a sweet kid--” She then paused, looking at Yusuke as they awkwardly adjusted their arms across their chest, “--Well, you are, and I have  _ no idea  _ what’s wrong… Emotional issues, bad dreams, gender dysphoria… It’s like you’ve won the bad luck lottery, Kitagawa.” 

Yusuke frowned, adjusting the binder once more as they rolled their shoulders back. Kawakami pinched her nose.

“Look… Don’t tell anyone I’m doing this,  _ especially  _ not Ohya.” She huffed, “I don’t want people to believe I’ve gone soft but you’re definitely the kind of kid I would go soft for. But you gotta pay this time, got it?”

Yusuke nodded. “Got it, Kawakami-san.” 

“That’s Dr Kawakami to you.” 

“Dr Kawakami, right.” 

_ I AM THOU, THOU ART I _

_ THOU HAST ACQUIRED A NEW VOW. IT SHALL BECOME THE WINGS OF REBELLION THAT BREAKETH THY CHAINS OF CAPTIVITY _

_ WITH THE BIRTH OF THE  _ **_DEATH_ ** _ PERSONA, I HAVE OBTAINED THE WINDS OF BLESSING THAT SHALL LEAD TO FREEDOM AND NEW POWER _

Well, that was comforting. Yusuke paid for the medication and left the practise, looking over their shoulder for the couple they saw harassing Kawakami earlier. They seemed to have an issue with the woman, but Yusuke wasn’t sure why -- maybe that would be something to look into?

xxx

[ROGER] - hey man you got a second

[YUSUKE] - uh, sure. whats up? 

[ROGER] - oh nothin much just thinkin about how theres a tv in the attic of goethe

[ROGER] - and u should so get some vidya games to play on it

[YUSUKE] - …

[ROGER] - you know like some video games? electronic interactive media?

[YUSUKE] - yes i know what video games are, roger

[YUSUKE] - but why?

[ROGER] - a few days ago

[ROGER] - i saw u sitting in the attic 

[ROGER] - staring at the wall

[YUSUKE] - excuse you i was relaxing

[ROGER] - yeah to what? yeezy?

[YUSUKE] - yes to yeezy, what do you think i am, an animal? 

[ROGER] - …

[ROGER] - i deadass do not kno how to respond to that

[ROGER] - anyway

[ROGER] - did a quick search -- there’s a retro system on sale at that antique store just down the road

[ROGER] - cant miss it, the old man will often be sweeping cause no one goes and buys his shit

[ROGER] - for some reason

[YUSUKE] - also wait how the hell could you see what i was doing

[ROGER] - AND NOW YOU EFFING GET IT WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU

xxx

With both weaponry, medicine and now the upkeep of a retro video game system to keep track of, Yusuke decided that now would be a good time to actually get a job at a certain Beef Bowl place. Not because they were trying to stalk the shady politician, definitely not…

Although, Sumire had stated that he would be helpful with helping Yusuke with their negotiation skills. Considering that when they’d gotten the job at the Beef Bowl shop, the shady politician walked in with his hair covered in grime, impeccable suit looking considerably roughed up as he sat down pretty close to the table Yusuke was serving, they were wondering whether Sumire got the right guy. No, they recognised him from the soapbox outside of Shibuya Station. 

The boss sighed. “Hey, Kichi, everythin’ good?”

“Got my ass handed to me by a couple of punks,” The man sighed, his voice  _ way  _ too calm for someone who had just been assaulted, “Don’t worry, I can handle it. My usual, please?” 

The boss nodded, turning to face Yusuke. “Hey, new kid. See if you can memorize this -- Beef bowl, egg, extra chives. Got it?”

Yusuke nodded and made the dish themself, placing it in front of ‘Kichi’, who nodded. “Thanks, kid.” He sighed, taking a bite and humming in bliss. “Ah, good as always.” 

Yusuke smiled. “You’re welcome.” They whispered, but before they walked away, ‘Kichi’ quickly called them back.

“Hey, wait,” 

Yusuke turned their head to face the politician, who smiled. 

“If you’re ever in Shibuya again, remember to talk to me after one of my speeches. I believe it’ll be worth your while.” He placed a business card on the table, “Here’s my card. I have lofty goals, but I believe you can help.” 

Yusuke raised a brow; Zenkichi Hasegawa, Independent Politician. They sighed, maybe this will be important later.

“Why me?” They asked, as Zenkichi smiled.

“I saw you watching one of my speeches, and then you got this job here.” He shrugged, “It’s just an assumption though, I could be way out of line. But it would be nice to know my voter base.” 

Yusuke nodded. “I’ll keep it in mind, Hasegawa-san.”

Zenkichi rolled his eyes. “Please, just call me Hasegawa, no need for formalities, kid.” 

xxx

On the day of the Board Meeting, the entire school was called into an assembly. Immediately, Yusuke assumed the worst -- Kamoshida was going to publicly leak Makoto’s record, ruining her life and reputation for good. They had failed, and they were sure of it. 

As they sat in class, failing to focus on their work, their social studies teacher threw chalk at them to get them to ‘stop daydreaming’ - in reality they were three steps away from a panic attack. So when they instead reached up and grabbed the chalk in one hand, breath hitched, the class’s silence was thick enough to be cut by a knife. 

Ushimaru-sensei stared at Yusuke with wide eyes, as they placed the chalk down on the table and swallowed.

“Sorry, sir, it won’t happen again.” They stated, looking back down at their work, much to the surprise of everyone in the classroom. 

Then came the assembly, a lunchtime assembly, as students filed into the hall. Yusuke held their wrist in their hand, as a certain detective princess noticed their sudden increase in anxiety. She giggled.

“Wow, first you’re calmly catching chalk, now you’re standing here in a panic,” She sighed, “Duality of man.”

Yusuke looked up at her, biting their bottom lip. Great, was the room spinning again? They felt sick, they almost felt like they had to run, but were prepared for their mission to have failed -- for everything to fall apart. For it all to be for naught. 

Ann seemed to notice this, gently pushing them away from the crowd. “Here. My friend Shiho suffers from panic attacks, so I figured we’d move you away for a breather.” She looked around, “I  _ think  _ we can see the podium from here? Plus, you’re freakishly tall, so it isn’t a problem.” 

Yusuke frowned, holding their stomach tightly. They looked down at the floor, not listening as the room hushed to a silence, the eggman of a principal announcing that Kamoshida had an announcement to make. Yusuke’s stomach dropped, expecting the worst, only to be surprised as the P.E. Teacher walked up to the microphone and stated, remorseful, almost in tears;

“I have been reborn.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so uh this is a short chapter but in my defence i was very excited to finally get to kamoshida's confession! also death kawakami fun times, yay~
> 
> instead of having to deal with oyamuda, death!kawakami has to deal with the takases, and yeah, in this universe it's believed that taiki died of a drug overdose following exposure to kawakami's medications, and the takase's believe that kawakami covered it up with the whole 'respitory tract infection' thing
> 
> roger and yusuke's text messages were kind of a unique thing for me, it was also a chance for me to flex my terrible yusuke likes kanye west headcanon (thanks king of shujin academy), as well as a chance to have yusuke get a gaming system! they dont NEED it bc their proficency is p high HOWEVER i could see them playing it for fun :')
> 
> ZENKICHI I LOVE YOU. he looks like hes gonna be so much fun in strikers and im v excited to actually START his confidant. but i wanted to intro yusuke to him!
> 
> justice ann and kamoshida's confession! the next chapter will deal with the aftermath of the confession as well as have an extended scene with justice ann, devil hifumi and our moon confidant! i cant wait :')


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **TW: REFERENCES TO SUICIDE, STALKING**

Ann pulled them aside after Kamoshida’s confession -- as well as the calling of the police for his arrest - -blue eyes wide with curiosity. She had led them into an empty classroom -- known as the ‘counselling room’, but no one ever really used it -- sitting Yusuke down at one of the desks as she calmly produced her phone and began to scroll through it.

“Let’s see here,” She stated, her voice smooth and composed, a far cry from the ‘valley girl’ Yusuke had seen earlier, “Kamoshida rules the school with an iron grip. You show up and cause enough cracks in the foundation that he causes a student to attempt suicide. Then, he gets ‘blackmailed’ by a mysterious group -- a group that would have to be able access to the school in order to pin all those ‘calling cards’ onto the noticeboards.” 

She finishes scrolling, “Finally, today, the day of an important board meeting -- in which he’s rumored to have leaked blackmail material of his own -- Kamoshida announces his crimes and appears remorseful, even attempting suicide on stage.”

Yusuke shuddered, the thought of being responsible for not just Kamoshida’s death, but the lack of closure for his victims weighing on their mind. Ann smiled, gently, but with a hint of mischief to it. It wasn’t a TV ready smile like the one seen before, it was one much more devious, almost like she was engaged in a secret with Yusuke. 

“Coincidentally, you -- the supposed delinquent transfer student -- start hanging around the Volleyball Ace and the Dragon of Shujin, the latter of whom was being blackmailed by Kamoshida for sexual favors.” 

She looked up from her phone, “One thing you all have in common -- you all have a reason to hate Kamoshida; he leaked your record, forced Akechi-senpai to cover up his abuses, and I already mentioned the blackmailing against Niijima-senpai.” 

Yusuke nodded, as Ann grinned, her blue eyes fluttering. 

“Case closed. I believe that you had something to do with this Kitagawa-kun.” 

Yusuke’s face flushed as they felt themself sink into the chair they were seated on. Ann’s expression wasn’t one of malice, but the realization that in one fail swoop they’d be back to square one freaked Yusuke out. They swallowed, as Ann laughed, high and melodious, before flashing them a TV ready smile. She then leant in, as if telling a girl friend her secret crush on a popular boy, and whispered.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone,” She smiled, “In fact -- I can help you. See; the thing about being the supposed Detective Princess is that I have access to _multiple_ different criminal databases.” She winked, “People who the SIU can’t catch. If you and your group can make a simple PE teacher confess his crimes to the school, then how hard would making a criminal mastermind break down in front of the world be?” 

“I thought you’d be against us?”

“Oh, no, no, no!” Ann tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, “You see… Solving crimes is _boring_! It’s always the same people, every time, some mafia goon or revenge plot or murder suicide… There’s no fun, no adventure. And the SIU?” 

She rolled her eyes, “Give me a break, I’m only ‘employed’ with them because of the candy bar… And apparently because according to them, I look good on TV.” She winked at Yusuke in response to the last comment, before her expression soured.

“Japan’s police are quite corrupt, and also rather lazy -- that’s why we _need_ people like the Phantom Thieves. People who actually give a shit about justice!” 

She folded her arms. “So, what do you think? I’ll give you targets in exchange for not spilling your identities. Got it?”

Yusuke nodded, as Ann smiled. “I look forward to working with you, Kitagawa-kun.”

_I AM THOU. THOU ART I_

_THOU HAST ACQUIRED A NEW VOW. IT SHALL BECOME THE WINGS OF REBELLION THAT BREAKETH THY CHAINS OF CAPTIVITY_

_WITH THE BIRTH OF THE_ **_JUSTICE_ ** _PERSONA, I HAVE OBTAINED THE WINDS OF BLESSING THAT SHALL LEAD TO FREEDOM AND NEW POWER_

Distracted by the warmth, or maybe by the golden halo the mid-afternoon sun transformed Ann’s flaxen hair into, Yusuke failed to notice that she had cleared her throat, awkwardly. Yusuke nodded at her for a second, as she stood up and was about ready to leave the room.

“I wish you luck on your future endeavours,” But before she could leave, she quickly turned back. “Oh, by the way, when you’re the talk of Japanese media… What should they call your group?” 

xxx

“We are _not_ naming our group the Hamburglars.” 

The tired expressions on the pair of third years' faces said it all. Yusuke gave the pair an almost comical pout, eyebrows furrowed.

“Why not?” 

“We now have the force on our side -- somewhat -- we can’t be obvious about our identities,” Goro clarified, “I’d say stick to the Phantom Thieves.”

Makoto snorted, “Honestly, how’d you get her to listen to us?”

Yusuke shrugged. “I didn’t. She just pulled me aside and talked to me. You know, talked? Like normal people do?” 

“You _aren’t_ normal, Yusuke.” 

“I’d take that as a compliment…” Yusuke stated, before they cleared their throat, “Also, did you see that website?” 

They quickly searched the site up on their phone, showing it to the group -- it was a simple online forum, titled “The Phantom Aficionado Forum”, designed the same way as the Calling Cards seen on the Shujin noticeboard. 

Goro raised a brow, as Makoto’s eyes widened. The pair scanned over the website, in some shock. 

“We already have fans?”

“It was just one job…” Makoto whispered, “It seems we’ve managed to appeal to people.”

“We pretty much got rid of one of the most hated men in Shujin Academy,” Goro continued, under his breath, “It’s no surprise that we would get a following.”

“That’s great!” Sumire exclaimed from Yusuke’s bag, “If we have a following, it means more targets, and more hearts changed!” 

Yusuke nodded, although they were still confused. Who could’ve created the website? Obviously they were a Shujin student — how else would they _know_ the colour scheme of the cards and their logo? — and Yusuke had two hunches; the first was Hifumi Togo, the gossipy newspaper club member who propositioned them for help with a story, and the second… One Shiho Suzui, the girl who leaked Yusuke’s record. 

Awkward silence fell amongst the group, Yusuke swallowing as Goro showed them and Makoto a pair of soft drink cans.

“Which one do you want?”

“Whichever one’s not carbonated.”

In response to Makoto’s statement, Goro’s brows furrowed. “They both are.”

“Oh, uh… The lemon soda then?”

Goro handed her the drink, and Yusuke the other - grape flavoured, from what they could tell by the coloration of the can - and he popped open the pull tab on his own soda can, raising it to the sky in triumph.

“A toast, to us.” He stated, as Makoto and Yusuke clinked their cans against his.

xxx

The Phansite -- as many had called it -- was buzzing, even though it had only been up for three days. Yusuke had tried to talk to Hifumi about it, but she was too distracted by ‘gossip collecting’ to give them a straight answer -- “The traffic from these Phantom Thieves is giving me information for days!” -- so the next best option for them was to stay behind after class and talk to Shiho Suzui. 

Shiho was quite hard to miss -- she was rather athletic looking for a girl her age, emphasised by her diminutive height. But Yusuke remembered seeing her at the volleyball rally, she could play like it was nobody’s business. Maybe that was why Kamoshida targeted her. He didn’t want anyone overshadowing _his_ coaching. 

Her black hair was loose, held back by a pink headband that added to the preppy athletic appearance that she’d shown off. She was wearing the standard Shujin uniform, the only difference was that she had a black knee brace on, and was lacking the suspenders and blazer. Yusuke also noticed that she was wearing pale pink tennis shoes. She looked down at her phone, biting her bottom lip, before she quickly noticed Yusuke was standing next to her.

“Gah!” She shouted, her face growing flustered as she covered it. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry--” 

Yusuke frowned, about ready to walk away as she was mid apology freak out, but cleared their throat instead. Shiho blinked, shaking her head as she swallowed and tried to recover from the awkward apology attempt, clearing her throat. 

“Uh… What do you need? I… I can help you with homework or something… Just please don’t hurt me--”

“Why do you think I’m going to hurt you?”

A pause, as Shiho swallowed. She took a deep breath in. “Kamoshida got me to leak your record…” She mumbled, “I figured because of the rumors you would be… Yknow…” Her face brightened, “But Kamoshida’s gone now, which is great, all thanks to the Phantom Thieves.” 

Yusuke blinked as Shiho continued to explain. “Y’see, I know I sound like a crazy stalker, but I wanted to help them--” As she produced her phone, Yusuke saw the familiar webpage, “--So I created this -- the Phantom Aficionado Forum! It’s a work in progress at this point… But I hope it could work with them finding targets!” 

She paused for a moment, twirling a strand of hair with a finger. “Shit… I’m explaining this all to you. I’m sorry for being so loud…”

“It’s alright,” Yusuke waved a hand, “I’m actually a fan of them myself--” Great, now to make the most egotistical lie sound believable. “--And if you need any help with getting them targets or intel, I’m happy to oblige.” 

Shiho’s eyes widened, and Yusuke swore that they were sparkling. “Really? Oh, thank you Kitagawa-kun!” She turned her phone over, “Here, let’s exchange details so we can talk about this in secret! I look forward to working with you.”

_I AM THOU, THOU ART I_

_THOU HAST ACQUIRED A NEW VOW. IT SHALL BECOME THE WINGS OF FREEDOM THAT BREAKETH THY CHAINS OF CAPTIVITY_

_WITH THE BIRTH OF THE_ **_MOON_ ** _PERSONA, I HAVE OBTAINED THE WINDS OF BLESSING THAT SHALL LEAD TO FREEDOM AND NEW POWER_

After they exchanged contact details, Yusuke felt much lighter. It felt nice to have someone on the group's side, even if that someone was a super-fan passing herself off as a PR manager. Shiho sighed, a smile crossing her features.

“So, I’ll text you if I get any leads!” She nodded, “Thanks again.” 

xxx

“The girl who leaked your record created this website?” Goro asked, eyes wide, “Has she--”

Yusuke shook their head, scrolling through the forums. The group had found themselves sitting outside Shibuya crossing, all looking over the Phansite requests. Makoto rolled her eyes.

“None of these are good,” She groaned, “They’re all just petty complaints, classic ‘my boyfriend won’t listen to me’ bullshit.” 

“To be fair to all of them, the site was founded by teenagers and started due to problems _affecting_ teenagers -- yknow, like an abusive, pedophile gym teacher.” 

Makoto sighed. “You aren’t wrong.” She stated, before she blinked. “A stalker?” She raised a brow, “Guys, check this out. It’s even got a full name.” 

The two teens -- and a rabbit -- leant over Makoto’s phone. She jokingly swatted Goro away, much to his chagrin, but let Yusuke and Sumire look. 

“I don’t know what to do about my ex who’s stalking me. His name is Natsuhiko Nakanohara.” Yusuke blinked, “Huh. According to the post, he’s a teller at city hall.”

“A government worker is stalking someone? That’s disquieting.” 

“And it’s a suitable target!”

Goro shook his head, “Well, does he have a palace, Sumire?” 

“Not quite --” Sumire stated, pressing Makoto’s phone with her paw, “I’ll get the metanav out… Ugh the screen isn’t responding… Stupid paws… Yusuke-senpai?”

Yusuke chuckled and pressed the Metanav icon. Goro’s eyes widened.

“Wait, wait… We’re going to _jump_ into a palace? We haven’t planned yet!” 

“Well, if it’s how we defeat this Nakanohara guy, then I think we should just live a bit.” 

Goro sighed. “Well, that’s fine by me, but if this Nakanohara guy as you called him _kills_ us…”

“I have Revivadrin from the clinic if that happens.” Yusuke stated, as Goro raised a brow. “I live near a doctor’s office, and she’s been giving me discounts on medicine, so I figured… Why not?” 

“Anyway, discussions about our leader’s questionable legal choices aside--”

“Considering what we’re _doing_ , you shouldn’t act so high and mighty, Goro.” 

“Is this _still_ about that dolphin plush?” Goro rolled his eyes, “--We need a name and a place, right? So the name is Natsuhiko Nakanohara--” Makoto’s phone buzzed, Yusuke smiled.

“Got a hit.”

“And the location?”

Sumire’s ears perked up. “We don’t need a location this time!” She exclaimed, “Just enter exactly what I say; the keyword is ‘Mementos’.”

Yusuke raised a brow. “Mementos?”

Sumire nodded. “Yep, just type it in! If my hunch is right…”

“In English or in Japanese?”

“I’d think in English, after all Mementos is a western sounding word.” Makoto shrugged, as Goro snatched the phone from Yusuke’s hand, “Hey, Goro, if you break my phone, you’re paying for it!” 

Goro quickly typed down the word, only to be startled by the sound of _Candidate Found_ said by the familiar automated voice of the metanav. His eyes widened.

“It’s a hit.” 

Sumire jumped up and down, rather excited by this development. “Oh, yes yes yes!” 

And that’s when the world went funny again, the group finding themselves standing in a Shibuya Crossing rendered completely empty. Makoto flinched.

“What the--”

“Christ, Sumire, _warn us_ when that happens!” Goro paused, “...Am I floating?”

Sumire giggled, “Sorry! It just kind of feels like that sometimes!” She then jumped down from Yusuke’s shoulder, beginning to walk around to the underground area, “C’mon, Shadows prefer the dark of the underground, so this is where we can find him!” 

As she walked off, Goro raised a brow. Makoto was hesitant, but Yusuke immediately followed. With a sigh from Goro and an eye roll from Makoto, the pair were quick to enter after. When the group made it to the underground area, they were shocked to find that the area had changed; what was once sleek chrome and silver had been replaced by dingy red, veins lining the walls as the screens were reduced to static. 

Makoto felt the familiar plate armor on her shoulders and breasts as she entered, turning to face Sumire, who’d returned to her metaverse form. Yusuke stood in front of them, surveying the area with a keen eye as they too faced Sumire.

“So, is this Nakanohara’s palace?” 

“Kind of…” Sumire began to explain, “Let me explain; a palace is formed by distorted desires, correct?”

The group nodded.

“Well, _everyone_ has distorted desires -- not just people like Kamoshida. Mementos is where those desires are kept until they fully distort into a palace!” Sumire placed her little paw hands on her hips, “Think of it like… Everyone’s palace.” 

“Everyone’s… Palace?” Makoto swallowed, “Why did it have to be so dark?”

“Yeah, and I don’t see Nakanohara.” Goro looked down at his clothing to see his Metaverse attire, black cloth fitting snugly like him like a second skin, “And the Shadows know we're here? There doesn’t seem to be that many good hiding spaces.”

Sumire smiled, jumping down from the ticket gate she’d placed herself on and finding a small area to stand. 

“They’ve known we were here since we showed up in this place, but I don’t think they come to this floor -- at least, not when I’ve investigated,” Then she paused, looking around, “Not to worry, I have a way to get around here!” 

She raised her hand and spun around, her body surrounding with pale pink energy, almost like a magical girl transformation. When the energy dissipated, in the place of Sumire was a pale pink minivan style car - Sumire’s pink lacy butterfly mask over its headlights, and a pair of tall rabbit ears appearing out of the top of the car’s roof. 

“So, what do you think?”

Goro’s jaw dropped. “Okay, I’m out of here--”

Before he could walk away, Makoto grabbed him by the arm and led him to the car, popping open the back door and leading him in. The car seemed rather plush on the inside, comfortable leather seats and anything. As the pair sat in the backseat, Sumire made a throat clearing noise sound with her engine;

“Um, sorry to alarm you Rook-senpai, Ace-senpai but… I do need someone to drive.”

“I have my licence!”

“Yeah, and I don’t trust _you_ behind the wheel! We could get into an accident.”

Makoto snorted. “Yeah, so? At least I can drive _fast_ and not at a snail’s pace.”

“Well, we do need a quick driver--” Sumire winced, “--There’s a shadow in here that’s _very_ dangerous if we stick around for too long on one floor. Fox-senpai? Can you drive?”

Yusuke blinked, rubbing a hand behind their head. “Well…”

xxx

“JESUS CHRIST, FOX, WHO TAUGHT YOU HOW TO DRIVE LIKE THIS???”

Turning a corner to distract two shadows into bumping into each other, making them easy pickings for the team, Yusuke laughed from the driver’s seat, watching as Makoto held onto the window, eyes wide and full of adrenaline. 

“Ah, yes, this is amazing! Totally makes me forget we’re in a deep dark tunnel with no real sources of light.” 

Yusuke ran into the pair of shadows, which transformed into four green blobs with red eyes. They flicked their scythe, as they did a quick scan of the creatures -- they were relatively new, and looked nothing like they had seen before in Kamoshida’s palace. 

“So, I guess we should try everything, right?” Sumire stated, her voice low, “You go first, Senpai.” 

Summoning Mandrake, Yusuke hit the creature with a lunge… But there was no response. Yusuke’s eyes widened. 

“Shit!” They heard Goro shout from behind them, “Immune to physical!”

“Guess we gotta try some more elemental skills--” Sumire stated, jumping up as she cried out for D'Artagnan to hit one of the other creatures with a lightning bolt. The damage could be described as pitiful. 

Makoto was up next, aiming a watery blast from one of Ching Shih’s cannons, only for the pitiful damage Sumire gave to it to be healed by the blob-like being. Makoto froze, blinking awkwardly. “It _absorbs_ it?”   


“Well, it is a viscous creature…” 

“Fox, how long have you been holding that pun in you?”

Goro chuckled. “Hopefully we won’t have to endure anymore puns,” He grinned, summoning Dorian Gray and blasting the creatures with an array of darkness. Still very limited damage. Goro frowned. “Okay, that didn’t work--”

And that’s when the creature blasted the group with a tarunda. Although they had been weakened, Yusuke still let out a chuckle. 

“Time to bring out my trump card, _Faust_!” With the summoning of the fire demon, Yusuke grinned, a malicious expression crossing their features as they flicked their wrist, stunning the creatures with a blast of fire. Now that the creatures were stunned, Yusuke flicked their gun at one of them;

“Lend me your power.” 

The creature looked up startled.

“Why me in this situation right now? Why me at your mercy?”

“Times have changed.” 

“Ah, me not understand but you make sense! Why you come all the way here?”

“That’s easy; to find myself.” 

“Wow, you very wise human… Wait, me not supposed be here! Me is Slime, now is mask! Nice meet you!”

After the creature was obtained, Goro gagged. “Oh God, that is disgusting.”

“I actually think it’s quite cute.”

“You… Are the worst, Fox.” 

“Already aware,” Yusuke grinned, “Now, where to next…” 

Once they got back in the Sumire-van, they drove for a little bit before coming across an area that appeared like there was a massive chunk of the wall taken out, leaving a red void filled with black debris. Makoto swallowed from the backseat, looking over the chair to see the void.

“What _is_ that? It looks all… Wavy?” 

“I sense the target up ahead,” Sumire clarified, “I can _smell_ him!”

“That is disgusting, Sumi, don’t ever say that again.” 

“It’s _true_ though!” Even though she was in van form, Yusuke could _see_ Sumire’s pout. “Anyway… Are you ready, Fox?”

Yusuke nodded, pulling the van into reverse and crash landing into the empty area. It was rather plain, not appearing like anything in particular compared to the much more elaborate palace locales the group were used to encountering Shadows in. In the back of the area, there was a silhouette of a figure - male, rather unassuming in appearance. 

“I think that’s him.” Makoto whispered. Sumire nodded.

“Yes, it is.”

“The city hall front desk man who became a stalker…” Goro shuddered, “I can’t believe someone would stoop so low.”

“So, shall we beat that rubbish mentality into submission?” 

Makoto and Goro nodded, as the group rushed forward. The silhouette was now much clearer - middle aged, conspicuous bowl cut, wearing a frumpy looking suit and tie. But the one thing Yusuke noticed -- and God they felt like a creep for noticing this -- were his _hands_. They appeared rather deft, somewhat elegant. Not the hands of a city hall member; more the hands of a pianist. 

**_“Who are you?”_ ** The shadow cried out, golden eyes piercing through the group. 

“Are _you_ that stalker?” Makoto asked, her voice dripping with venom, “Have you ever _considered_ your ex-girlfriend’s feelings?” 

**_“She’s my property! I can do whatever I want with her!”_ **

Goro began to unsheath his rapier. “Well, if you believe that… We may have a slight disagreement.” 

Nakanohara glared at Goro, **_“You don’t understand, boy. She treated me like a goddamn plaything! I’m just giving her the payback she deserves!”_ **

“Payback? Just because someone treated you like scum doesn’t mean you deserve to treat them the same!” Makoto called out, stepping forward, “The world doesn’t work on that dog-eat-dog logic! We’re gonna _destroy_ that mentality, by changing your heart!” 

**_“There are countless people who are worse than me -- I’m just a petty stalker. What about Madarame? He ruined my life, my career and you avenging angels are just letting him run free?!”_ **

Yusuke raised a brow. “Who is this Madarame?”

“Fox-senpai, focus on the target at hand! He’s just trying to distract you!”

But before Yusuke could even get an answer from Nakanohara, the shadow dissipated into a strange looking creature - an imp-like being with a matching bowl cut and suction cups on its hands, feet and arms. Sumire swallowed.

“Okay, the distraction worked. Let’s take him down guys!” 

And the fight began as thus -- Nakanohara, while transforming into a rather weak looking Shadow, had no weakness, so the attacks didn’t even hit. However, physical attacks seemed to work, although he would periodically increase his own attack. 

With a few slashes from Goro’s rapier, some hits from the bat that Makoto had deemed her weapon, some slaps from Sumire’s ribbon and a final curved strike from Yusuke’s scythe, Nakanohara was defeated. Yusuke breathed a sigh of relief as the human form of the Shadow reappeared, eyes welling with tears.

**_“I-I was wrong… Please forgive me…”_ ** He choked out, golden eyes meeting Yusuke’s for one second, **_“I’m damaged goods, that teacher destroyed my career and my life… I became fixated on her after everything fell apart…”_ **

“Teacher?” Yusuke stated, “Are you talking about Madarame?” 

Nakanohara nodded, rather weakly. **_“I didn’t want to be abandoned again.”_ **

“So, you had been suffering… And you took it out on your ex?” Makoto asked, her voice reduced to a whisper. It seemed she understood Nakanohara’s plight, even as she gulped to try to appear tough. “You shouldn’t have dragged her into this mess, selfish bastard or no.” 

**_“I understand,”_ ** Nakanohara whispered, **_“I’ll put an end to my love for her.”_ ** Then after a few seconds of silence, he spoke up again, voice unsure. **_“You can change people’s hearts, right?”_ **

“Yes? What about it?”

**_“Please, I’m begging you… Change Madarame’s heart. Before more people become like me! I’d much rather he be changed then there be more people taking out their abuses on innocent bystanders!”_ **

“Wait, so how do we find this Madarame?”

But Nakanohara couldn’t answer Goro’s question, as he dissipated into light, leaving behind a swirl of pale blue. Makoto raised a brow.

“Is that his treasure?”

Sumire nodded. “Well, sort of -- it’s more like the bud of a Treasure. We should be thankful we got the request when we did; it could’ve become a palace in no time.” She looked over at Fox. “You do the honors Fox, this will be our reward for stopping him!” 

Yusuke walked forward, snatching the swirl as it mutated into a silver pearl in their right hand. While the request was completed, there was still more for the Phantom Thieves to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> phew, it's been a while hasn't it?
> 
> ive been playing p5r and realizing how much of kamoshida's palace i cut due to wanting to get chapters out as quickly as possible, as a result i havent really gotten a chance to test out game mechanics, stat raising or even other references :'(. heck, i missed out on _will seeds_ as well as various minibosses. so the next palace will be much more detailed, and im planning it out right now! 
> 
> justice ann is formally introduced! i wanted to start the justice confidant a little bit earlier, mainly as unlike akira, yusuke doesn't have any party members who are _in_ his class. 
> 
> fun fact; i named my party hamburgulars in p5r in honor of this fic! i just thought it would be funny for _yusuke_ to suggest the memey title as theyre usually written as rather... uncultured in terms of internet memes? writing yusuke in this fic is just funny to me because im writing them in a world where they weren't basically used as a ghost painter without their consent :'D
> 
> moon!shiho! my soft child! instead of having yusuke say theyre a pt outright, i had them instead say theyre a fan and want to help with the website! i instead had ann find out about yusuke being a pt bc that comes up _a lot_ in her confidant ;)
> 
> i included an extra recruitment scene because i LOVE the recruitment dialogue options in p5! they can be funny, charming, sentimental and all around just fun to work on! plus i _love_ slime! its a surprisingly cute pile of viscous sludge. speaking of which, it wouldn't be yusuke without either a pun or "let us beat that rubbish mentality into submission", so i included both!
> 
> note the reference to nakanohara's hands looking like that of a pianist... put a pin in it -- madarame isn't a famed artist in runaway. it wouldn't be yusuke without art being involved and having two artists on the team was just gonna be messy lmao.
> 
> anyway, thanks for checking this chapter out! i wont be back for a while lmao, next chapter will continue the moon confidant as well as exploring exam week and our next target! :D

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Arcana Swap Prompts!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29066016) by [BeeTeeDubya14](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeeTeeDubya14/pseuds/BeeTeeDubya14)




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